Goddess lost and Goddess found
by crimson.blood.witch
Summary: Isis was a normal collage student or so she thought a man in her dreams is about to rock her world. What she thought about herself, was not what she was. I want to thank my beta, my VBF, and the green huntress. A worrning later chapter suggest rape and sex. Please review. I do not own Loki,Thor, Ra, Isis, or Diana.
1. Chapter 1 and 2

Isis Knite was, she thought, a 25-year-old college student: a normal-looking woman of 5'7" tall, 125lb, with black hair, blue eyes, and olive skin. However, she felt like she didn't fit in with the other students. In her room at night she sat, trying to stay awake, afraid to sleep for she feared her dreams.

_A man stood before her: he was tall, with black hair and deep forest-green eyes, and well built. He tells her she is his lost love and he misses her, he has been looking for her for a long time. Suddenly a thing made of ice grabbed her and carried her away. As the green-eyed man fought to get to her, the ice creature took her into darkness, growling that she will never see him again. She was afraid and alone in the dark; it is cold and icy. Suddenly the ice creature grabbed her again, took her to a cliff, and threw her over the edge! As she fell, screaming, she saw the Earth, as if she was falling from space._

Isis usually woke up screaming. She dared not go back to sleep, for the dream would just repeat itself, over and over again.

This was not the first 'unusual' thing in Isis Knite's life. Over the past few years she had noticed other strange things: oddities that should only belong in mutants like the X-Men. She has heard what others were thinking; she has teleported to different places just by thinking about it, and she feels 'fed' by standing outside on clear, starry nights. She found this alarming; it wasn't normal! She never mentioned it to her parents, though. Mutants were not well received in society, and she did not know what they would think.

"_Am I going crazy_?" she wondered.

One day in literature class her professor started talking about ancient Norse myths: what gods and demigods were worshipped, and what powers people believed they had. Some of the stories mention the strange abilities she had experienced. She thought about it, and decided to research it more.

She spent a lot of time in the library, reading book after book, until she came across a story about Loki: the Norse god of mischief, lies, and evil. One book even had a picture, and it looked just like the man from her dreams: the one speaking of undying love for her! Isis, not knowing what to think, checked out the book and went back to her room.

She sat by the window, looking at the artist's rendering of Loki, and suddenly a voice filled her mind.

_"__I will find you my love no matter where they take you. I will look forever if I have to_."

Sitting there by her window, Isis drifted off to sleep with the book in her lap. The dream started again, but this time, she spoke to the black-haired man.

"Who are you," she asked? "Why are you in my dreams? What am I doing here, and what is that thing made of ice?"

_As he reached for her-to hold her in his arms-Isis stepped away so he could not touch her. He looked at her, puzzled._

_ "__What is wrong?" he asked._

_ "__I don't know who you are," she whispered. _

_He closed the space between them. "I am your love, your life-mate: I am Loki."_

_Isis stepped back. "Why are you saying that you love me? I do not know you! Why are you in my dreams?"_

_ "__We are life-mates," he replied, "and have been for a few centuries. In this dream realm we can be together." He looked at her with pain in his eyes. "Why do you ask these things? Don't you remember me?"_

_She shook her head. "NO, I don't know you, or what you want!"_

_Loki stepped forward quickly, grabbed her and wrapped her in his arms, holding her tight. _

_"__What have they done? What have the Jotun done to my goddess of the night?" A tear slid down his face. _

_Suddenly the ice man (was this the Jotun he spoke of?) appeared, snarling, and yanked Isis from Loki's arms. Loki tried to catch her, but the iceman threw her aside and attacked Loki._

Isis hit the ground, hard, and she woke with a start. A tear fell from her eye as she looked down at the picture and she started to cry. She felt lost, like her heart had been ripped out. What did it all mean? Was it a dream, or was it real? How could she tell?

At class the next day Isis asked her teacher more about Loki.

"There are lots of story about him," the old man replied. "Some say he was decidedly evil, some say it he was acting from a broken heart, and others say the trickster couldn't help himself: he was just born that way."

Isis took her seat and thought of ways to find out more about the Loki from mythology. Was he the Loki that appeared in her dreams? If he was, then why did he say he loved her, and why did the ice men-the Jotun-want to hurt her? She barely heard anything the professor lectured about for the rest of the hour. When class was over she went back to her room.

_Maybe_, she thought, _if I go to sleep I can find him and find out what is going on. Maybe, just maybe, I can figure out why I am so different from everyone else._ She lay down in her bed and opened the book to the page with his photo, so as she started to drift off to sleep she thought about him.

_He stood under a great big tree, and as she slowly walked up to him he turned and saw her._

_"__You came back," he said as he wrapped his arms around her. "Quickly, where are you? What planet did they hide you on?"_

_She looked up at him, puzzled. "I am from Earth. I've never been anywhere else." She looked at him, troubled. "Have I? Who am I, and why am I so different from everyone else?"_

_He looked at her with love in his eyes, and a bit of amusement. "Midgard," he said, "of course, they would hide you there." He took a deep breath. "You are not from Earth-Midgard-you are Isis, a goddess of the stars. You were not born to Midgard, but Asgard, the same place I call home."_

_"__Why do the ice men…"_

_"__Jotun," he corrected._

_"__Jotun, fine. Why do they want to hurt me? I don't remember them, or you, or Asgard. What is happening to me?" Isis grew insistent, demanding answers._

_He groaned as if pained. "They hurt you to get to me. They wanted me to do something for them and I wouldn't do it, so they took you away-kidnapped you. I have been looking for you for hundreds of years. That is why I have been in your dreams. We can talk here, but somehow the Jotun find a way-in your dreams-to keep me from finding out where you really are."_

_"__I'm sorry," she said, shaking her head, "I don't remember you. I only knows of my life on Earth, and then only for a couple of years. I don't remember anything before my late teens." She looked up at him and saw the worry in his face. "What is wrong?"_

_He sighed. "It hurts that you do not remember the love we shared, or our life together. I swear to you, I will find out what they did to you and make them pay for it." He pulled her tight and lowered his head. "It is time for you to go back." He looked her in the eyes. "I'm coming for you." Loki kissed her passionately. _

With that kiss Isis woke up, feeling alone.

CHAPTER 2

Isis thought about what Loki said and tried to remember her life before she woke up in the hospital. Then she realized she couldn't even remember how she ended _up_ in the hospital. She still had so many questions that need answers! What was a goddess of the stars? Why did she feel so alone whenever she woke from her dreams? Why did she feel like half of her was missing?

Isis decided that more research was needed, but the library, museums, and the Internet were the only sources she could imagine. _This will have to work until I go back to sleep and can talk to him again, _she thought to herself. _And this time I will have him tell me everything he knows about me, to see if anything rings a bell._ She also thought she should talk to the people that raised her; she already know that they were not her real parents. She needed to find out where she came from, who she was, and why she couldn't remember anything.

Isis got dressed and went to see if her teacher was in his classroom; maybe he knew something about star goddesses that might help her. She found her teacher in his classroom speaking with a new student: a tall young man about her age, with fair skin, ice blue eyes, and brown hair. She walked into the room, and when her teacher saw her he asked her to come in.

"Good morning, Isis! I would like you to meet our newest student. His name is Traiton; he just transferred here from New York."

As Isis stepped up she felt cold, like someone had just walked over her grave. Something creepy was in the air, but she couldn't say exactly what it was.

"Hello, Traiton," she said, extending her hand to shake his, "it is nice to meet you."

"Likewise," Traiton said, but he would not let go of her hand. Isis had to pull away from him before he would let go.

"Professor," she said, "do you have a few minutes? I need to ask you about yesterday's lecture."

"Yes, of course," said her professor, and he took his leave of the other students.

The Professor escorted Isis into his office. "How can I help you, my dear?" He asked.

"What do you know about star goddesses?" she blurted out. "I can't get them out of my mind, for some reason.

"Hmmm," he said. "Well, they are the children of the moon goddess-Diana-from Greek mythology. There is not much on them, but they do pop up in other cultures' myths, and are called by many different names."

"Thank you," Isis said. As she began to leave she saw the new student, Traiton, still in the classroom staring at her. She walked out of the office and tried to walk past him, but he stepped in front of her.

"Excuse me, Isis, right? I was wondering: could you show me to the dorms? I still don't know my way around here," he explained.

"Sure I can," Isis said, "just follow me. I'm going there now."

As they walked out together Isis felt the chill creeping up on her again, but stronger this time. Traiton walked close to her, seeming to examine the grounds, and did not say anything until they reached the dormitory. "This is it," she said. "Now, if you will excuse me, I need to go to my room."

"Of course," Traiton said.

Isis left Traiton in the lobby and went to her room, and laying down she thought of Loki as she drifted off to sleep.

_He was standing under the big tree again, but as she walked up to him he did not turn to face her. _

_"__Why did you come back here?" he demanded. "It is dangerous for you to keep coming back." _

_"__I had to talk to you: to ask you some things," she explained. _

_As he turned around she saw that he looked like he has been crying. _

_"__What is wrong?" she asked, "why are you crying?" _

_"__I did not think you would come back. I want you to be safe, but I missed you so much!" he confessed._

_Isis took a deep breath. "I need to ask you something," she admitted._

_He smiled for the first time. "Darling, you can ask me anything your heart desires, and I will grant it." One of his hands reached for her hair, tucking it back behind her ear, and suddenly Isis felt a little giddy._

_ "__Can you tell me of our life together?" _

_He eyes lit up. "I can and will tell you everything," he promised. "We met during a war with the dark elves. Our people were allies. We fell in love the moment we saw each other, and became mates with the blessing of your Mother and the All Father. We lived in Asgard for a long time, and were happy." His face soured. "Then the Jotun-Sciotha-showed up and everything fell apart. He took you from me, and I have been looking for you ever since." _

_As they stood there, the air grew cold around them. Loki looked up with anger in his eyes. _

_"__What is wrong?" she asked._

_"__The Jotun Sciotha is coming. I can feel him and his troops." _

_"__How do you know they are coming?"_

_"__By the change in the atmosphere," he explained. "You can tell when the air gets cold like this, especially when the weather is hot. The sudden change is a sign even mortals can notice."_

_Isis remembered what happened in the classroom and on the way back to the dorm rooms, and became worried. _

_"__Loki," she look at him pointedly, "can the Jotun look like humans?"_

_"__Yes," he said, "Some of them have the power to do so. Why do you ask?"_

_She shrugged, not wanting to tell him of her suspicions until she was sure. "I just wanted to know, to be sure. It seemed like a good question," she explained._

_When they turned around they saw it: a huge Jotun was coming right at them! Loki grabbed Isis and kissed her passionately, then released her to attack the Jotun._

_"__Isis!" He yelled at her, "Get away from here! I will find you again in your dreams, and come for you, and bring you back home! Now GO!"_

Isis sat up in bed, freezing cold and sweaty, feeling lonely. She lay in bed trying to go back to sleep, but couldn't. With a sigh she picked up one of the books she got from the library to see if the star goddess was in it.


	2. Chapter 2

CHAPTER 3

As Isis flipped through the book, she found that five other cultures had a star goddess. In Hindu myth she was the goddess 'Arundhati'; in Tagalog myth she was 'Tala'; in Greek myth she was called 'Astraea'; in Aztec myth, 'Citlalicue'; the Egyptians called her 'Sirius'. Isis could find no other mention of her, so she sat the book down on her stand and looked at the time. Isis knew she should head to class but she did not feel up to going today; she wanted to find more answers. Rummaging around in her desk, Isis got her laptop out and started an email to her foster mother.

_Dear Mom, _

_I need to ask you something important. What you can tell me about my life before I woke up to you in the hospital? I would like to know more about myself. Do you know anything about my birth parents? Hope to hear from you soon. _

_With all my love,_

_Isis. _

Isis felt a chill creep over her just as she hit the 'send' key, and suddenly there was a knock at her door. She adjusted the thermostat a little higher on her way to answer it. As she opened the door she found Traiton standing there.

"Hi, Isis. Aren't you going to class?" He seemed genuinely concerned.

"No, she answered, "I'm not feeling well. Would you mind taking some papers in to our professor for me?"

"Yeah, I can do that," he nodded.

"Would you like to step in for a minute while I get them?"

Traiton smiled and stepped in, but Isis could tell at once that he was uncomfortable.

"Wow," he said, "it's hot in here. Do you always keep your room so warm?"

"Not usually," she confessed, "but I have had a chill lately so I turned up the heat."

Isis picked up her papers and walked over to him, but the closer she got to him the cooler her room felt, until she was almost shivering. Isis handed her assignments to Traiton.

"Thank you," she said, a little shyly.

Traiton looked her in the eyes with a smile "You are welcome. I hope you start feeling better soon." As Traiton turned to leave he turned back. "Is there anything else you need?"

"Well, um, would you get my homework for me?"

He smiled. "Yes, I will. I'll drop it off after school gets out. Get some rest, ok?" Traiton said, and shut the door softly as he left.

Isis sat down by her window thinking of Loki, and her heart began to ache. She felt as if she was going to cry. Then it hit her: maybe, just maybe, she could use her ability to teleport, to get to him wherever he was. Isis closed her eyes and thought about him: his eyes, his smile, and his kiss (especially his kiss). She felt herself _move_ without moving...

When she opened her eyes she was standing in some woods. Looking around cautiously, she walked slowly forward; she heard two masculine voices yelling at each other. Peering around a big tree she saw Loki arguing with a Jotun.

"I will find her," Loki swore, "and we will be together again, no matter what you do!"

The Jotun smiled mockingly. "I assure you, it shall never be," he bellowed, "unless you did as I say!"

"NEVER!" Loki growled.

The Jotun picked Loki up and slammed him into a tree, and when Loki fell to the ground, the Jotun leaned down to his face. "Her pain will be _great_," he snarled.

Loki looked up from where he lay. "You leave her alone! She is not part of this!" he snarled.

The Jotun laughed, gave Loki a hard kick to the ribs, and vanished.

Isis ran to Loki's side. Sitting by him she carefully rolled him on to her lap, tears running down her face. Loki reached up and touched her face.

"How did you get here?" he murmured in wonder.

Isis smiled. "I thought of you and teleported."

Loki pulled her face down to his and kissed her softly.

With that kiss a strange light appeared. Isis got scared and pulled Loki closer. "I'll keep you safe," she murmured, "don't worry." Loki smiled at his would-be protector and kissed her again, soothingly.

As the light got brighter, Isis pulled Loki closer to protect him.

A tall, dark-haired woman stepped out of the light, looking down at them with a soft smile.

"Fear me not, child. I will not harm you," she soothed. "I am Halastjarna: goddess of comets and shooting stars. Do not be afraid, Isis, I will not hurt him or you. I am your aunt, though you remember me not."

Isis was shocked. All she could do was look at the goddess wordlessly.

"Loki will recover soon," the goddess continued. "You need not worry."

Isis carefully lowered Loki's head to the ground. Standing and walking slowly over to the goddess, she asked, "Do you know who I am?"

The goddess smiled maternally. "Yes, child, I know you: you are Isis, goddess of the stars, daughter to my sister Diana, goddess of the moon. Yes, dear one, I know you well! I have missed you so!"

"Why can't I remember anything?" Isis asked. "I don't remember you, or my mother, or myself..."

Halastjarna smiled and kissed her on the top of her head. "You need your amulet of the moon: It will tell you all there is to know. Losing it caused part of this mischief."

"Where is it?" Isis asked. "I don't even know what it looks like!"

"Go back to where they found you and ask the night sky," Halastjarna commanded. "It will show you what you want to know. The one that looks at nothing but sees everything will help you."

Loki finally stood up behind her. He wrapped his arms around her from behind and kissed her gently on the neck. "It is time for you to go back, darling," he insisted.

Isis looked up at Loki and shook her head. "I don't want to go back. I want to stay here with you and Halastjarna!"

The goddess hugged her tight. "We will see each other again when the time is right," she assured her, and with another soft kiss the goddess vanished in a flash of light.

Loki wrapped Isis in his arms. "It is not safe for you here, darling, not yet. It is time for you to go back." He kissed her again, gently. "I will see you in your dreams. For now, this is much safer. You need to find your amulet before it is safe for us to be together."

Isis closed her eyes and thought of her room. When she opened her eyes Traiton was standing over her, calling her name! She startled.

"What's going on?" she demanded. "What are you doing in my room?"

"I came to bring your homework to you, and found you on the floor," he said, sounding concerned. "Are you all right?"

Isis started to rise when a voice came from the door.

"Get away from her, Traiton," commanded a tall, dark skinned woman. She had long black hair, a regal bearing, and eyes as dark as a starless night sky. The woman took long steps forward, and Traiton backed away from Isis.

Isis stood up. "I'm fine," she told the beautiful woman, "I had just fainted, I think. Traiton didn't hurt me." She placed a hand on the woman's shoulder and smiled. "I'm ok." Isis turns to Triton. "Sorry I freaked out."

He smiled, "It's ok, and there is no need to be sorry. It's perfectly understandable."

Isis shook herself. "Traiton," she said, "I would like you to meet my long time friend: Saffron Star, from Egypt. Saff, I would like you to meet Traiton...umm...I'm sorry Traiton I never got your last name."

Traiton smiled and held out his hand. "Triton Sciotha: it is nice to meet you Ms. Star," he said.

Saffron looked at him. Taking his hand she only nodded, but when Saffron's hand touched Traiton's a look of pain came across his face.

Traiton let go of Saffron's hand. Turning to the table he opened his bag and handed Isis her homework. "Are you sure that you are ok?" he asked.

"Yes, I am fine," she insisted.

Traiton smiled. "Ok, then: I guess I will be heading out." As he made to leave he turned to Isis. "Would you like to go out and grab a bit to eat this weekend?"

"Yes that would be good," Isis said without thinking.

He smiled. "Ok cool. See you then! I hope you start feeling better." He looked at Saffron. "It was nice meeting you Ms. Star," he said politely.

Saffron just nodded.

Traiton shut the door quietly as he left the room.


	3. Chapter 4

CHAPTER 4

Saffron walked Isis over to her bed, sat her down carefully, and then walked to the door to make sure Traiton had gone. When she was sure they were alone, Saffron turned to her friend fiercely.

"What the hell were you **thinking**? You know that teleporting wipes you out!"

Isis looked up at her friend. "I know," she said, "I just had to see him again. I need more answers."

Saffron rubbed her hands over her face, frustrated. "Him," she said. "Who is 'him'? Why won't you tell me his name?"

Isis looked down at her feet. "I can't," she said in a soft voice.

"Why not," Saffron pressed?

"Because you will think I am crazy, and won't believe me. That's why not."

Saffron sighed and looked at her friend. "Isis," she said, "how long have we been friends?"

Isis looked up at her. "Since...since I came here, to college, and we met. You know: forever."

Saffron sat down next to her friend, and her voice was soft.

"Isis, look. I know that anything you tell me is the truth: period. And I know you are not crazy. You can trust me with anything!"

Isis looked her friend in the eyes. Her heart told her Saffron was right. She was being afraid for nothing.

"Ok," Isis said, "but before I tell you what is going on, I need to ask you something, ok?"

"Ok: shoot."

Isis took a deep breath. "Look, you know about my gifts, right?'

Saffron nodded. "Yeah: telepathy and teleportation, and maybe dreamscaping. What of it? You obviously haven't run away screaming from the stuff you see in my head, so it's no big, right?"

"That's just it, Saff. I _can't_ hear your thoughts; I never have! I can't hear Traiton's either! What's going on with me that my gifts aren't working on some people?" The look on Isis' face told Saffron that her friend was truly worried.

The news bothered Saffron as well. In fact, it shocked her.

"I don't know! I always assumed you could hear what I was thinking." Saffron frowned for a minute. "Look, Isis: you know I always speak truthfully. You can trust me! Just tell me what is going on!"

Isis looked up at her friend and took another breath.

"Ok, Saff: I'll tell you. But you have to promise me you won't laugh at me."

"Cross my heart."

"Ok. Do you remember the stuff I have been telling you about? The dreams I have been having about meeting a man in the woods?"

Saffron nodded. "Yeah. What about them?"

"Well, he isn't somebody I just dreamed up. He's a _real person_, and he says we are 'mates'."

Saffron's eyebrows rose. "Ooookay...So, does your dream hunk have a name?"

Isis nodded. "He told me his name is Loki...and...and I think I love him! I feel so lost when I cannot be with him!"

Saffron took a deep breath.

"Loki...as in Loki, God of Lies and Mischief, the Trickster of Asgard? That Loki?"

"Yes."

Saffron took another deep breath, and looked her friend in the eyes.

"Isis, are you **100% sure** that this man in your dreams is Loki?"

Saffron sounded stern, and Isis looked up at her friend, surprised. This reaction was not what she had been expecting. She had thought Saffron would think her totally nuts.

"Yes, I'm sure," she answered.

Saffron stood up suddenly, so Isis had to look up at her friend, who was now banging her head on the opposite wall in frustration. Suddenly Saffron whipped back around towards Isis, and her face was fierce.

_"__Well, it's about __**FUCKING TIME!" **_Saffron yelled.

Isis' jaw dropped, and at that Saffron laughed.

"Don't look so surprised," Saffron said. "Yes, dear friend, I know exactly who and what you are. I have been unable to say anything about it until now."

"Wait...what? How?" Isis stammered.

"I was under a guise of silence until you had come to some realization of your true love," Saffron explained. "The rest is not important right now; all will be revealed to you when the time is right. Magic is tricky that way, a lot of these things you must learn on your own. Now, where was Loki when you saw him?"

Isis thought for a moment. "I don't know for sure," she admitted, "it was always in a dream. We were in some woods; the trees there were **huge**. I could hear the wind in the leaves all around me. That's all I know."

Saffron nodded thoughtfully. "Ok," she said. "I think I know that place. It is the Realm of Wandering Winds. Was he able to tell you anything?"

Isis shook her head 'no', and then looked up at Saffron. "There was a lovely lady there, too. She said she was my aunt."

Saffron crossed the room and sat next to her friend. "What did she say?"

Isis frowned. "She said I have to go back to where I was found, and find the Amulet of the Moon. The Amulet will tell me everything I need to know."

"Hmmm," said Saffron. "This means you have to go back to Kansas, right?"

Isis nodded. "Saff, will you come back to Topeka with me? I really feel I need you with me. I don't think my parents will understand all this."

Saffron patted her knee in a comforting gesture. "Of course I will. What are friends for? Look: exams and the end of the term are in two weeks. We can go then, ok?"

Isis nodded. "That sounds good."

Saffron patted her knee again. "Great. Now get some sleep, ok?"

Isis nodded. "I will. Thanks again, Saff, for everything."

"No problem. Like I said: what are friends for? Now get some sleep, girl. I'll talk to you later, ok?"

Isis locked her door after Saffron left, and began to get ready for bed. Suddenly her computer _beeped_ at her. She flipped her laptop open: there was an email waiting for her from her adoptive parents.

_Dear Isis,_

_Hello my sweet girl! How is college? Dad says to say hi, and he loves you. Honey, I'm sorry I can't tell you much about when you came to us. We found you lying in a field after a tornado swept through the area. You were in a coma when we found you, and when you finally woke up in the hospital all you could tell us was your name: Isis. You couldn't remember anything else. I know this is probably really fuzzy for you right now; it was a difficult time, and you were badly hurt. We petitioned for custody of you, and you eventually came home with us. We have tried, as best as we could, to love you as our own daughter. I hope you know that. _

_I'm sorry I can't tell you anything more, dear. That's really all I know. We searched and searched for your biological family with no luck. A lot of people died that day, and a lot of people went missing and were never found. The storm was really bad._

_I look forward to the end of the term, and to seeing your lovely face once again._

_Love always,_

_Mom_

With a heavy sigh Isis shut down her computer and went to bed, but she couldn't sleep. She started thinking of the things Saffron and Loki had told her, and especially of the Realm of the Wandering Winds. If Loki was there, and she had enough energy, maybe, just maybe, she could teleport herself to him...She closed her eyes and concentrated, and her bedroom disappeared with a **_FLASH_**.

/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\

Isis was in the woods again: in the same woods she had met Loki in her dream, but this time, they were _real_. She could hear Loki yelling, so she ran towards his voice. She soooooooo wanted to see him again, to hold him, and feel his arms around her!

She came to a clearing and stopped short. She could see Loki arguing with a tall Jotun just a few feet away. She hid behind a tree. She wanted to see Loki, all right, but she knew that Jotun was up to no good.

"You stay away from her!" Loki bellowed.

The Jotun laughed, cruelly, and the sound cut into Isis' soul like a cold knife.

"Do you think she would be in such a hurry to remember you, or even love you, if she knew what you really are? You are a fool, Loki Odinson."

Loki glowered at the giant. "You leave her out of this! This is between you and I!"

The Jotun glanced behind Loki, to the shadow of the tree behind him, and to her horror Isis knew she had been seen. Her feet froze on the spot, and she could not move.

"Do you really believe she loves _you_? That she always will, no matter what?"

"Of course! We are mates; the bond is unbreakable!" Loki insisted.

"Really," the Jotun smiled coldly, "let's just see about that."

Before Loki could move or utter another sound the Jotun grabbed him by the throat, lifted him off his feet and slammed him into the nearest tree. Cold washed down over the Jotun's arm, and where it touched Loki's body the sorcerer began to change. Suddenly Loki dangled in mid-air with skin of Arctic blue and eyes as red as blood.

Isis screamed at the sight, and Loki turned to her, shocked to discover she was there...

And afraid...of _him_.

Sciotha laughed. "Loves you, does she?" he taunted, and dropped Loki to the forest floor.

Loki took a step towards Isis, holding his hands out in a placating gesture.

"Isis, my darling, my mate...let me explain..."

She backed away from him in horror, shaking her head.

"You...you're one of them! You're one of the demons that have been trying to hurt me! This was all a lie!" She backed away from him, terrified.

"Let me explain..."

"No! Stay away from me!" Isis screamed. She stumbled back, tears flowing freely down her face, and turned to run away from Loki. She had to get away from these blue demons...had to teleport back to Earth...

She never had the chance. Sciotha grabbed her first, his ice-cold hands rendering her immobile.

"Let her go, Sciotha!" Loki bellowed. "This is between you and I. Leave her out of it!"

Sciotha laughed coldly. "I think not, Odinson." He ran his hand down the side of Isis' face, and she jerked at the coldness of his touch. "She is very lovely. I'll say this for you, Odinson, you have great taste."

"Let her _go_, Sciotha!" Loki bellowed, and a ball of fire appeared in his hand. "Deal now with me!"

"Oh, no, Odinson. I think I will take your Isis home with me to _play_," Sciotha said, wrapping one cold hand around her neck. He kept her body positioned between Loki and himself, so Loki could not attack him. "Have you moaned in his arms, sweet thing?" he breathed in her ear, and then nipped at her neck. "I will make you scream," he promised, and glared at Loki again. "I will _enjoy _making her scream," he growled, and with a flash of arctic blue light they disappeared.

Loki lifted his face to the sky and howled his grief to the winds.

"**Halastjarna**," he bellowed, "**I need you!**"

A brilliant flash of white light announced the arrival of the Goddess, and Loki fell to his knees. Returning to his Aesir form, he looked up at her with tears falling from his eyes.

Her face was grave. Her big brown eyes were full of sadness and worry as she took his chin in her glowing hands.

"Loki, child, what ails you? Why have you called me?"

"He...he took her...I was too slow...too late. He will hurt her, and I don't know how to find them!" he stammered.

The goddess put her hands on Loki's shoulders and gripped them tightly. "Loki, Child of Destiny, Son of Two Realms, speak plainly! _Who_ took _whom_, child?"

Loki took a deep breath. "A Jotun lord named Sciotha-my sworn enemy-has taken Isis. Isis, my love, my mate...he has her, and will hurt her, and I don't know how to find them!"

Halastjarna's face hardened in anger. "I know who can find them, my child. We shall find Isis and return her unharmed." She shook Loki slightly by the shoulders, making him look up at her. "Worry not, Loki. All will be well again. Have faith, my child."

Loki nodded, and the goddess stepped away. With another blinding flash of light she disappeared.

/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\

Halastjarna teleported straight into Saffron's college dormitory. She arrived with another brilliant flash of light, making the young woman jump and scream.

"Saffron, Daughter of Ra, and Guardian of the Lost Stars: merry we meet, my child!"

Saffron dropped to one knee with her right arm over her chest.

"Merry we meet: great goddess," she answered. "You know who and what I am! How do you know me?"

"I am Halastjarna: Goddess of the Shooting Stars, Protector of the Wanderers. I have come to you for aid, my child." Halastjarna reached down and lifted Saffron to her feet. "Saffron, Daughter of Ra, I ask you now to rise to your power to aid me!"

Saffron nodded. "What is it you ask of me, great goddess? I will rise up for you, and do it!"

"The Jotun Lord Sciotha has taken Isis, Isis your friend, Isis the love and mate of Loki, Trickster God of Asgard. He has taken her captive, and we do not know where he has taken her! Can you find her for us, oh Guardian of the Lost Stars?"

Saffron's face set in anger. "I will find them, my lady, and bring Isis back safe. This fallen lord Sciotha will rue the day he crossed the stars, to his own ruin!"

Halastjarna smiled and gripped the young goddess' shoulder tightly. "I know you will not fail me, child of Ra. Go, and be victorious! Merry we part, Daughter of Ra!"

Halastjarna vanished in another flash of white light.


	4. Chapter 5

CHAPTER 5

Isis opened her eyes and looked around, but all she could see was really tall trees. She would have thought herself still in the Realm of the Wandering Winds, but for the blue haze around everything. She felt odd...stiff...as if she had slept in an odd position. Where was she? She shook her head and tried to move, but then discovered that she could not.

She was chained.

Isis' arms had been stretched above her head and out to the sides, putting her in a 'Y' position. This frightened her no end, and she tried to teleport out of there, but felt a cold electric shock run through her body instead. The pain made her eyes water, and she gasped.

"I wouldn't do that again, if I were you," a cold voice said.

Isis turned her head to see four enormous Jotun standing to one side, laughing at her. Isis tried to teleport away again, but was rewarded by another powerful jolt of electricity. This one was strong enough to make her scream.

The tallest Jotun-Sciotha, Loki had called him-walked up to her, smirking.

"The more you struggle, the more it will hurt. You are in an energy cell, and your powers will not work here." He walked through the energy barrier as if it was nothing, and grabbed her by the chin, dragging her eyes upward to meet his crimson ones. "But I hope you continue to struggle," he breathed lustfully. "I so love to see you thrash, and hear you scream. I just _love_ the way you scream," he growled into her ear.

Isis shivered; his touch was so _cold_. "Please," she begged, trying to move away from him, "please just let me go. I've done nothing to you or your people..."

Sciotha laughed. "Oh, no, my sweet little thing. You are too great a prize for me to release! I can see why Loki wants you: you are delectable. If he does what I want of him, then perhaps I will consider letting him have what is _left_," he pulled her head back by the hair, "assuming, of course, that he still _wants_ what is left. He is a god and a prince, after all. They don't usually accept..._leftovers_."

Isis felt sick. This monster was using her as a hostage, with Loki's services as the ransom! "What did you want him to do?" she gasped, trying to get him to talk longer. The longer he talked, the better her chances of surviving...

"Nothing difficult, sweet one," Sioctha said, walking around her and leering at her body. "He just has to fulfill his natural destiny...do what he was _born_ to do...and kill Allfather Odin."

"Ragnarok?" Isis croaked, looking up at Sciotha in horror. "You want Loki to start Ragnarok? Now? The cycle isn't complete! He can't..."

"Oh, I'm counting on his delay, sweet thing," Sciotha growled, licking his lips as he stared at her. "It will give us more time together, you see." He walked around her again, stopping behind her, but his hands ghosted down the front of her body, stopping at her hips. Isis tried to pull away from Sciotha, but the chains stopped her, and suddenly Sciotha pulled her body hard against his groin. "So hot," he moaned, "so much heat in one small body. I wonder...just how hot are you?"

Sciotha slid his hands down her side, yanking off the flimsy clothing that was her pajama pants, and pushed her thighs apart with his freezing hands. Isis gasped at his icy touch on her thighs, but _screamed_ when two of his ice-cold fingers thrust deep inside her.

"Yes," he moaned, "scream for me, my sweet." He continued thrusting his fingers deep into her core as tears streamed down her face. "Scream for me," he growled, lowering his head to bite at her neck.

"Bastard!" Isis cried out, and threw her head backward with all her strength and anger, breaking his nose with the impact.

Sciotha grunted with the pain. "Stupid girl," he growled, and yanked his hand out of her abused core, "you will pay for that!" So saying, he walked around to where Isis could see him and backhanded her in the face. "You will learn..._obedience_," he growled, and this time the icicle between her legs was not his _hand_. Isis' head dropped backwards, and she screamed and thrashed in agony. "Yesssss...yes! So hot! _So sweet_! **_YES_**!" he roared, throwing his head back in triumph, and then leered down at her.

Isis sagged against her chains, sobbing.

Sciotha adjusted his loincloth and exited the cell. He gave a satisfied smile to his three officers, and produced an energy whip.

"Have fun," he commanded them, and flicked his crimson gaze back to the pitiful figure hanging in the cell, "but do not kill her."

"Yes, my lord," the other three replied, smiling.

Sciotha watched as his junior officers entered the cell. One of them ripped Isis' pajama top off, exposing her creamy skin to the cold night air, and he saw her head come up at the shock. Icy hands started pawing her, freezing whatever they touched, and Sciotha heard Isis start to cry again. Then the whip fell with a _CRACK_, and Isis screamed again.

/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\

Saffron appeared behind Loki with a flash, but he didn't notice her. He was flipping through spell-books as fast as he could, and throwing them out of the way as they each proved useless in locating his lost love.

"Loki," Saffron called out, trying to get his attention.

He spun around then, expecting another attack, but instead of a huge blue Jotun warrior he was faced with a tall, dark-haired woman covered in fire.

"Who are you?" he demanded.

"I am Saffron Star, daughter of the god Ra. The great goddess Halastjarna asked me to help you find your love: your Isis," she replied, stepping forward.

Loki fell to his knees. "Anything," he croaked, "ask anything of me that you may need to find her, and I will do it. If it costs me my life to buy her safety, so be it. I will be in your debt forever."

Saffron stepped forward. "Rise, Loki son of Odin. I will bring her back, but you need not give me your life as recompense. Isis is my friend as well as your love, but I do need your help."

"How can I help you?" Loki demanded. "Nothing is too great or too small to ask."

"I cannot track Isis' energy," she replied, "but I can track the energy of the Jotun. All I need is a taste of it, so I know how it feels." Saffron looked at the floor, and continued softly: "I know this is difficult for you, but I need you to transform for me."

Loki's head drew back warily. "Transform? But you mean...how do you know? So many here in Asgard do not..."

"I am not of Asgard, Loki. But we do have a connection. Even as you are also the God of Fire here in Asgard, in my own realm I am a Goddess of Fire. Fire consumes all in all realms, is shared between realms, and does not lie. I know much about you, my brother in the flame."

Loki nodded. "Well said, fire sister." He bowed his head and tensed for a moment, and suddenly he grew larger, his skin darkening to an arctic blue, and his eyes turning to a flaming crimson. "Uncomfortable and unsightly, this is, but I would run through the fires of the underworld if it would help bring Isis back to me."

"Unsightly? No...By the Nine," she whispered, "you are beautiful."

Loki raised an eyebrow at her, and Saffron shook herself to clear her head.

"Is this all you need of me?" Loki asked.

"Nay," she said, "I need a small taste of you, of your energy," she explained.

"I would not recommend licking me in this form," he cautioned.

"I need not that kind of taste," she smiled back, "a kiss will suffice."

Loki's face puckered. "Those are for Isis alone," he protested.

Saffron nodded. "I understand. A chaste kiss will do. Give me one such as you would give your mother or your cousins, and 'twill suffice for the nonce."

"So be it," he nodded.

Saffron frowned even as she approached him. "This may hurt, and for that, I apologize in advance." So saying, she quickly pressed her lips to his, and a slight hissing sound was heard. Saffron breathed deep as Loki's energy pulsed through his lips, and pulled away before she could do him any serious damage.

Loki shifted back to his Aesir form with the surge in both their energies. The chaste 'kiss' had given her what she needed, but it cost him a great deal of power. He collapsed to the floor, his lips slightly scorched and his head dizzy with the exchange.

Saffron ran to him, alarmed, extinguishing most of her flames as she did so, but not before a tall, well-built blond entered the room. Seeing Loki fallen, with a near-flaming woman standing over him, he bellowed with rage and threw a large sledgehammer at her.

**"****Stand aside, Daughter of Musphelheim**," he roared, **"you will not touch my brother!"**

Saffron barely swayed out of the way of the Hammer, and it returned to the blond giant's grip even as she burst back into her flaming goddess form. The blond giant stared at her in shock, but both of them went into fighting stances when the giant hammer flew to the man's fist.

"Thor!" Loki's voice was a low gasp, but his brother could still hear him, even as he extended a hand to stay another strike. "Stand down, brother. She is a friend, and no enemy from Musphelheim. She is here to help find Isis."

Thor walked forward, grabbed Loki by the arm, and hauled the weakened god to his feet. Loki held on to Thor's arm for a moment to steady him-self and turned back to Saffron.

The young goddess still stood there, ready to fight, and her body was awash with red, black, and blue flames. Her eyes burned with the fire of the sun, flashing like solar flares. She eyed Thor cautiously.

"Ahhh, introductions are in order," Loki gasped, stepping between the flaming goddess and the god of thunder. "Thor, this is Saffron Star, the Solar Flare: daughter of Ra and best friend to my mate, Isis. She has come at the request of the goddess Halastjarna, the Shooting Star, Guardian of the Wanderers, to aid us in finding my love. Saffron Star, this is my brother: Thor Odinson, god of Thunder, Lightening, and Storms. He is," he looked up at the muscular blond, "a mite protective."

Saffron nodded at the god of thunder. "Well met, then, son of Odin."

"Well met indeed," he rumbled, walking forward to offer her his hand. "Hail to thee, and welcome, fairest and most beautiful daughter of the stars!"

Loki thumped Thor on the arm. "Suck up. Stay on track, would you?"

Thor had the grace to blush as Saffron giggled. She turned away from the flushed god of thunder to address Loki again.

"I have what I need, god of mischief. I will go now, and bring her back to you." Her body began to erupt in quiet flames again even as Loki stepped forward. She powered down in time for the raven-haired god to take her by the arm.

"Be safe," he cautioned, "but if you can bring her back, please do. If you cannot, come back to us, and guide us there."

Saffron nodded. "This I so swear," she said solemnly.

"Wait," said Thor, and both Saffron and Loki looked at him.

"You would go alone, into an armed Jotun fortress, to rescue my brother's mate? My lady, I doubt neither the fire of your heart nor your hand, but this plan is not wise," Thor cautioned. "I cannot in good conscience let you do this alone."

"She is too hot for even you to handle, my brother," Loki cautioned. "I think that restrain her, you cannot."

"Restrain her? Nay," Thor shook his head. "But accompany her I would. It be too much to ask of any maiden to track the Jotun, and then fight them, and then carry out a wounded hostage and teleport back here, even if the maiden be a fiery star-goddess such as she." He hefted his mighty hammer. "Mjolnir can both open portals and fight battles, my lady. If thou wouldst have me, I can have your back on this venture."

"That be not the part you're staring at," Loki huffed.

"Wilt you have me or nay, Lady Saffron?" Thor asked, ignoring Loki's jibe.

"Aye, I will," she answered, "and gladly. Cans't open a portal here, or should we go outside?"

"Outside is best, methinks," he said, and grabbing her around the waist Thor jumped out a nearby window, dropping 100 feet to the ground. He held on to her easily, cushioning their impact with his mighty legs, and stood solidly.

"_Warn_ me before you do that again!" Saffron gasped.

"Thou art warned, Lady Saffron," Thor said with a smile. "Now, where wouldst you have us go?"

Flames erupted in her eyes again as she focused on the Jotun's energy. "To the Realm of the Wandering Winds," she answered, "but far in the north, where it grows cold."

Thor wrapped his strong left arm around her waist again. "As you wish, Lady Saffron," he said, raising Mjolnir to the sky. Lightening erupted from its core and surrounded them both. "So shall it _be_."

And with a mighty **_crack_** of thunder, they vanished.

/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\

Thunder rolled, lightning flashed, and with a blaze of red, blue, and black flames Thor and Saffron appeared in the Realm of the Wandering winds. Saffron shook her head to clear it; the journey had been rougher than her usual teleportation's.

"Nothing subtle about that," she muttered, "any Jotun within 500 stadia knows 'Thor is here'."

"Aye," Thor nodded, "I prefer not sneak attacks. They are unsportsmanlike, and unworthy of a god-warrior such as myself."

"We deal not with chivalrous beings, Odinson," Saffron snapped. "They have your brother's mate as a hostage and victim. They are cowards!"

"Well said," Thor admitted. He looked around, but saw nothing but trees. "I see them not. Can you track them that have my brother's mate?"

Saffron closed her eyes, and slow flames began to creep up her torso. She nodded, and the flames died down. "Aye, I can. That way," she pointed through a thicket, "but carefully. I sense they have violated the forest somehow."

Thor and Saffron picked their way through the thick mesh of tree trunks until they came to a clearing, where trees had been hacked down and moved away. In the center of the clearing stood a blue energy cell, and within that energy cell stood two tall trees, stripped of their lower branches. A bloodied young woman hung by her hands between them, naked, spread-eagle and unconscious. She had been whipped raw.

"Isis!" Her friend's name caught in her throat, and before Thor could stop her Saffron had run as close to her friend as she could get, stopped only by the energy cell's pulse. "Isis!"

"Now this is loyalty," laughed a huge Jotun, stepping out from behind the energy cell and between Saffron and Isis. "You love your friend so much you will join her in our sport!"

"Get out of my way, cowardly dog," Saffron growled.

The Jotun guard just laughed. "And if I don't?" he sneered. "I have tasted your friend's heat already. Methinks to dine on yours now!" So saying, he reached down to grab her.

Saffron gave the guard a wicked grin. "As you wish," she sneered, and her body erupted in the multi-colored flames again, scorching the Frost Giant's hand. He bellowed in pain and withdrew, so Saffron jumped high, carried by the heat of her flame, and punched him square in the nose. It sizzled.

"Witch!" he bellowed. "Think you that we never learned to handle fire? We shall see how you handle ice!"

Suddenly Saffron found herself surrounded by a solid tube of ice. She blazed with her sun-fire, but only managed to flood the small tube that now imprisoned her as the ice quickly melted. The cold water hissed as it touched her body, extinguishing her flames and turning to steam. It was getting hard to breathe...

A giant CRACK made the ice prison shiver. She had forgotten about Thor, but he had not abandoned her; he had thrown Mjolnir and shattered the ice. The cold water quickly ran out the bottom of the tube, and Saffron's fire returned.

Another Jotun guard had appeared-from where, Saffron couldn't see-and was fighting Thor. He had seen her predicament, however, and had thrown the big hammer just in time.

Saffron returned to the fight. The Jotun guard snarled at her and tried to punch her in the stomach, but she was too fast for him. Her blood was ablaze with rage, and she tapped into it to produce a solar flare. The fire-burst hit the Frost Giant dead center, and the shock rendered him completely unconscious. She floated over his limp form, enraged at what he had done to her friend, and considered how she might torture him in return...

Another Frost Giant body thumped down next to her vanquished one. Thor had done his work.

"There may be others, Lady Saffron," he cautioned. "We should extricate the Lady Isis, if we can, and take her to the Healing Rooms."

Saffron nodded. In her desire for revenge she had almost forgotten why they were there. She walked over to the energy cell and examined it. It seemed familiar, somehow...

"Methinks tis a dampening field," Thor mused, "powered by some form of tame lightening." He looked around the clearing and then up into the trees. "Aye, see there? Tis a power converter. I could hit it with Mjolnir and crush it, but the Lady Isis may not survive the explosion, in her condition."

"I've a better idea," Saffron said, rising above the energy cell on another solar flare. She rode them the way surfers rode waves. She let the flare raise her all the way up the tree trunk until she could step off it onto a branch: the power converter a few feet in front of her. Reaching deep within Saffron summoned an electro-magnetic pulse.

**_CRACKLE _**went her energy, and the power converter shut down. With it went the blue energy field, enabling Thor to reach Isis' limp form.

Saffron rode a gentle heat wave down the tree trunk to her friend's side. "Isis," she pleaded: "speak to me, please!"

But Isis did not respond.

Before Thor could pull out Mjolnir and try to crush Isis' bonds, Saffron summoned a bright flame from one of her fingers. Using it as a cutting tool, she removed the chains from Isis' wrists. Isis slumped forward, unconscious, and Saffron grabbed her before she could fall to the forest floor.

"Here," Thor said, unbuckling his massive red cape. In a tender act of chivalry he wrapped Isis' still form in his own cape, tucking it carefully around her bruised, bleeding, and partially frozen flesh.

"I have her, Thor," Saffron gritted as she held Isis up by her waist. "Let's get her home."

"Aye and verily," Thor grunted. "You have her, and I have you." So saying, the blond giant wrapped massive arms around both women.

Lightening enveloped them all, and they were gone.

/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\

The trio appeared in the Asgardian castle gardens with a roll of thunder and a fiery lightening display. Thor's mighty legs cushioned the impact for the women, but Isis still let out a moan. She was in great pain.

"We need to get her to the healing rooms as quickly as possible," Thor advised.

Saffron looked around. They were right behind the Valholl-the giant castle that Thor called 'home'. "How far away is that?" she pressed.

"Two stadia, not more."

"The castle is closer," Saffron pointed out. "Let's take her inside, to Loki's chambers, and summon a healer here."

Thor nodded at her good sense and scooped Isis up into his massive arms. "May bring healing for them both," he acknowledged, "for I fear my brother descends into madness."

"All will be well, now that he has back his mate," Saffron assured him.

The walk to Loki's chambers was short; within moments Thor gently lay Isis down onto Loki's soft bed. Saffron extricated Thor's cloak from Isis' battered form and handed it back to the blond giant, who rolled it up.

"Fetch the healer, Thor," Saffron urged, "I will stay with Isis. I know not my way around your castle and grounds."

Thor nodded and stepped out as Saffron began gently washing Isis' battered body. Isis, for her part, could only growl, gasp, and moan with the pain. It seemed anything Saffron did for her only extended her torture, much to her dismay.

Thor exited the room and began running down the hall. As he rounded a corner he ran into Loki. Seeing the blood-drenched cape in his hands, Loki grabbed his arm.

"Brother, are you hurt? What has transpired?"

"Nay, I am unhurt. The blood is not mine, Loki," Thor answered. "The Lady Saffron..."

Loki's eyes widened as he interrupted Thor. "The Lady Saffron...has she come to harm?"

Thor shook his head and laid a massive hand on Loki's shoulder. "Lady Saffron is well, as am I," he said. "But your Lady Isis has been gravely wounded. She lays in your bedchamber now. I go to fetch a healer for her."

Loki could do no more than grasp Thor's shoulder in gratitude and run off. Thor continued on his way to the Healing Rooms, while Loki sprinted to his bedchamber.

Loki didn't bother knocking. It was, after all, his room. He burst through the doors into his chamber, intent on seeing his love, but was greeted by a ball of red, blue, and black flames. Loki had a glimpse of a bright flash before the fireball hit him in the chest, knocking him backward and _whooshing_ the air from his lungs. His head swam...

Loki opened his eyes, and found himself lying on his own bedchamber floor staring up at Lady Saffron. She looked greatly annoyed, and a trifle embarrassed.

"What is it with you people? Doesn't anybody in this castle knock?" she growled, and then offered the god a hand to rise.

Loki accepted her hand. "These are _my_ rooms," he reminded her as he rose. "I should not _need_ to knock."

"Well, you startled me by bursting in that way," she protested. "It has been a very long day."

"Where is she?" Loki demanded.

"In your bed," Saffron admitted, "but perhaps you should wait..."

Loki wasn't waiting. He pushed past Lady Saffron to go to his mate's side, and knelt on the floor nearest her head.

Saffron had covered Isis with a sheet, to protect her modesty, but Loki could still see the marks left by the lash, as well as some of the frozen areas on her arms. Bruises had started to form on her limbs, chest, and face. "Oh, my love," he whispered, "I am so sorry."

Thor entered the outer chamber cautiously, with the Healer behind him. Neither of them wanted to startle the Lady Saffron. She raised an eyebrow at him.

"Well, at least one of you is learning," she joked, trying to lessen the tension.

Thor nodded curtly and turned to the Healer. "The Lady Isis lies on my brother's bed in yonder chamber," he said, pointing. The woman nodded and hefted her basket of healing stones and ointments and walked briskly into Loki's bedchamber.

Loki was still kneeling by Isis' head, stroking her hair and murmuring reassurances, when Lady Eir walked into the room.

"I must ask you to leave, my Prince," she urged Loki. He nodded dumbly, but did not move until Saffron placed a gentle hand on his elbow. Rising, he placed a pleading hand on Lady Eir's shoulder.

"Help her," was all he could say.

"I will," Lady Eir assured him. Turning to Saffron, the Healer motioned for her to come over.

"Know you aught of the healing arts? I shall need a few extra hands," she admitted.

"A...a little," admitted Saffron, "but I fear to do more damage to my friend."

"Do as I say, and all shall be well," the Healer commanded. "Now, child: shut the door. We need privacy for this."

/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\

Loki sat down heavily in the outer chamber, and buried his head in his hands. Thor walked over and placed a comforting hand on his brother's back, but got only a shuddering breath in response.

"Where was she?" Loki finally asked.

"In the Realm of the Wandering Winds," Thor answered, pulling up another chair. "The Jotun had your lady in some sort of energy cell. By the way she was chained up and connected to the power source, methinks she was prevented from teleporting out with small bolts of lightning. It served as both security and as torture," Thor sighed heavily.

"They did more to her than that," Loki said darkly. "I saw bruises and lashes. They tortured my love," his hands balled into fists, and he shook, "to get to me."

"We know she was beaten, aye," Thor admitted, "and from the pattern of the lashes, done to hurt as much as possible, short of killing."

Loki glared at his brother, who held up his hands to placate him.

"More than that I suspect, brother," Thor admitted, "but wait for Lady Eir's assessment we must."

It was a long wait.

Finally Ladies Eir and Saffron emerged from Loki's bedroom, and both men jumped to their feet.

"How does she fare? Can I see her?" Loki said eagerly.

"Sit down, my prince," Lady Eir said heavily.

Loki's face became ashen. "Does she live?" he gritted.

"Aye, she does, but you will need to sit down to hear what I say next," the Lady Eir cautioned.

Saffron bit her lip and looked as if she wanted to cry. Thor noticed and offered her a chair, which she refused. "I don't think I can sit right now, Thor," she whispered.

"I know she was lashed," Loki said tersely to Lady Eir, "and I saw the bruises and the frozen flesh. They took their time, torturing my mate. There shall be recompense for this, believe me..."

Lady Eir held up a hand. "My Prince, please listen to me. Before you go off on any quest of justice or vengeance, you must hear me. Your lady-wife, your mate, was not merely beaten and tortured. Her outer injuries are nothing compared to her internal ones, and her condition is grave."

Loki fell silent. "What more in the Nine Realms can they have...no...Oh, no..." His head sank into his hands. "Odin's Beard..." he swore.

Lady Eir nodded. "Your lady-wife was violated by the Jotun, my Prince, and is both torn and frozen within. Her wounds are healing now, and she will be up and about soon, but for now she must rest. She has lost a lot of blood." Lady Eir looked up at the stricken-looking Saffron. "It is well that you and Prince Thor were able to liberate her when you did," the healer said gently. "Any more delay would have meant her life."

Lady Eir began packing up her tools and stones, and lay out several salves for the patient's whip marks and bruises. "Apply these at least four times a day: more if the pain gets too much to bear. I will visit her daily to tend to her innermost injuries. She should not stir from the bed for at least a day or more," she cautioned, "but if she hungers upon waking let her eat whatever she will."

"Lady Eir," Loki called from his chair.

"Yes, my prince?"

"How bad is she hurt...within?"

Lady Eir sighed. "Her wounds are no longer life-threatening, my prince. She will live, but..."

"But?" Loki pressed.

"The cradle of life has been crushed. I know of no treatment I can give her for this, beyond allowing her to live and not bleed out. It is beyond my skill to restore normal function, my Prince. I am sorry," Lady Eir soothed.

"I...I don't understand," Saffron whispered.

Thor frowned and cast his eyes at the ground. It seemed he understood where Loki and Saffron did not.

"The Lady Isis is barren," Lady Eir said gently. "While technically she could _conceive_ a child, it is now beyond her ability to _bear_ one. There was simply too much damage to her womanhood for me to restore normal function. I am sorry," she repeated.

Loki nodded and stared at the floor.

"Thank you, Lady Eir," he said simply, coldly. "My mate and I look forward to your next call."


	5. Chapter 6

CHAPTER 6

As the hour grew late Loki finally drifted off to sleep, but Saffron stayed awake. Her thoughts would not let her rest, so she stood at the window looking down at the castle gardens. She heard the chamber door quietly open.

"Lady Saffron," she heard, "it is I, Thor, Loki's brother."

She smiled as he walked in.

"I have brought food and wine," he said, and she nodded her thanks as he placed the tray on a small table. He walked over to stand beside her at the window. "May I ask you something?" he rumbled gently.

Saffron nodded, but did not speak.

"How is it that you, the goddess of fire from a different realm, know Isis, my brother's mate?" Thor stood quietly beside her, and his voice was gentle, but probing. He had changed out of his armor, she noticed, and was now clad in soft black robes, trimmed in red.

Saffron took a deep breath.

"When the Jotun took Isis and hid her on Midgard, the moon goddess Diana, Isis' mother, came to my father and asked if he would send his strongest and bravest warrior to keep her safe. My father told her he could do better than that: he would send the daughter they had had together: me."

Thor touched her on the arm. "You are a sister to Isis?"

Saffron nodded. "Yes. We are half-sisters. Ra' and Diana had a...thing...a few millennia ago. I was the result," she shrugged.

"This must pain you a great deal, then," Thor said softly.

Saffron nodded and sighed. "Yes, it does. All of our lives we have lived apart: each knowing the other existed, but never actually _knowing_ the other. We always thought there would be time..." she shuddered and blinked back a tear. "Our gifts were so strong, and so contrary, that our parents thought it best if we were raised apart, until we could control ourselves, and then get acquainted."

"Loki and I have very little in common, yet we were raised side by side. I wonder sometimes at the wisdom of our elders," Thor admitted. Saffron gave him a questioning look, and Thor sighed. "Loki's true parentage was kept from him, from all of us, for over a thousand years. His discovery of the truth was a shock."

Saffron nodded. "I imagine so. 'Tis a wonder he did not go mad."

"He almost did."

Saffron shuddered. "When Sciotha took Isis...and I heard...I was so angry! I wanted to burn down Jotunheim, searching for her, but my father gainsaid me. He knew by his arts that Isis was closeted somewhere on Midgard, but surrounded by powerful enchantments. I had to go in...how do the mortals say it...undercover...disguised as a mortal...to even get close to her. When I finally did..." she sighed, "I found myself bound by a guise of silence. I could speak to no one of what I knew: not my father, not my mother, not even Isis. Until she knew the truth, or at least a part of it, my lips were bound. I could not speak to her of her parents, or her powers, or especially her love with Loki, until she had discovered these things for herself."

"That must have been difficult," Thor prompted.

Saffron nodded. "Aye, it was, the hardest part being cloaking mine own flame." Thor gave her a questioning look, so she continued. "I normally burn a little, but a human or Jotun would notice such, and alert others to mine...oddity. I therefore had to keep my fire banked-buried but still hot-until such a time as it could be revealed."

"How long did you have together?" Thor asked gently.

"As mortals? Nearly four years. I was able to find out which university Isis was attending, and my father saw to it that I had the necessary paperwork to attend, so we could meet by 'accident'." She smiled at the memory. "Living as a mortal, four years seems like an eternity. We had quite a time of it, bonding as friends! We did all the things girls do..."

A scream interrupted their quiet talk, and woke Loki as well. The dark-haired god jumped immediately to his feet and ran into his bedchamber, to Isis' side.

Isis saw him as he entered the room, and screamed more as he approached. Her eyes were sick with fear, and she clawed at the bedclothes, trying vainly to escape the comforting hands of her mate. Loki reached for Isis, but she another scream left her lips, and she sobbed in panic. Loki backed away as Saffron ran into the room.

"Help her, please," he begged. "She fears me now, and..."

Saffron hushed him with a touch of her fingers on his lips. "Leave us, brother. Let us speak."

Loki nodded sadly and backed away even as Saffron approached Isis on the bed.

"Isis, dear one, do you know me? Do you remember me? It is I, Saffron," she soothed, even as a tear coursed down her cheek. "I came as soon as I could. I'm so sorry..."

"Keep him away," Isis sobbed. "Keep him away! He is one of them...the blue demons who tortured me! I know the truth! I saw! He means to hurt me again!" She looked down at her damaged flesh and started crying again. "Just keep him away!"

Saffron gently wrapped a sheet around her sister's still-bare form, trying to cover her up, and shushed her.

"No, Isis. You are safe here. This is _home_. No one here means you harm, least of all your life-mate and your love. He is Loki...don't you remember?" Saffron tried to smooth down her hair, but Isis continued to sob, and she shook her head.

"I know what he is now," she whispered. "I saw when Sciotha grabbed his arm. He is one of them, and they," she stuttered and began to sob, "they did awful things to me, Saff. You wouldn't want to know me, if you knew what they did. It hurt so bad...it was so _cold_..._and he is one of them_."

Saffron shook her head. "Half," she corrected, "Loki is only half Jotun, and not even all Jotuns are evil. Some of them are still good people. One of them gave life to someone who loves you more than life itself. He was ready to ransom his life," Saffron looked her friend in the eyes, "to save yours."

Isis looked at Saffron, shocked. "How...how do you know this? You're from Earth...like me..."

Before Saffron could answer, Thor's voice boomed from the doorway.

"It is alright, Lady Isis. Calm yourself," Thor soothed as he walked into the bedchamber. "You are among family and friends here!"

Isis clawed at the sheet again, agitated. "Who the hell are you," she snapped, "to tell me so?"

"I am Thor, son of Odin All-Father, and your brother-in-law through Loki, who is your mate. Your sister speaks the truth, for the fire-tongued never lie. You are truly safe, Loki is your mate, and he is only half Jotun," he declared.

Isis shook her head, confused. "What is this nonsense of which you speak? Sister? What sister? I have none...I am an only child...from Kansas...am I not?"

Isis turned to look at Saffron, her eyes questioning, but Saffron turned away, biting her lips.

Thor walked up to Saffron. Taking her hand, he pulled her away from the bed where Isis lay. "Now is the time, Lady Saffron. She has heard, but not seen the truth. You must _show_ her."

Saffron nodded and stood up. Moving away from the bed, she bit her lip again and looked down at Isis. "I...I'm sorry Isis. I couldn't show you before now..." she tried to explain, but faltered.

"Show me what? Saff, what the hell is this guy talking about?" Isis searched her friend's face, but saw only sadness. "Show me what?"

Saffron took a deep breath. "Forgive me, please," she whispered, and looked down.

The flames began at her feet: slow blue ones, because she was sad, but as her heat grew and she gained more confidence, they grew brighter. Gradually they coursed up her body, blue and red and black, licking around her form like a gauze dress caught in a wind, black flames sweeping around her head where her hair had been. A quiet crackle filled her outstretched hand, and a fireball appeared, spinning merrily before evaporating with a small _pffft_.

"Oh, Saff," Isis' voice caught in her throat, and for a moment she forgot her pain and fear. "You are so beautiful! Why didn't you tell me before now?"

"I'm sorry," Saffron said, and her flames flickered blue with her chagrin. "I wanted to, when we first met, but I was bound by Sciotha's magic, and could not speak of this...of any of this. We are half-sisters, but were raised apart, and never met until we united on Midgard. My father..." She took a shuddering breath and closed her eyes. **"Father, I need you!"** she declared.

There was a brilliant flash of fire, and a man appeared: tall and dark-skinned as Saffron, but much older, with flashing eyes and a sharp, hawk-like nose. Saffron dropped to one knee with an arm across her chest in greeting.

"Father," she said respectfully.

He smiled and extended a hand to help her to her feet, so that she stood beside him. "Rise, my child," he said, and then turned to Isis, who still sat, stunned, on the bed. "Greetings, young Isis: daughter's sister! I am Ra': the Sun. The friend you call Saffron Star is my daughter with your mother: Diana of the Moon." Closing his eyes briefly Ra' raised his head and intoned: "**My long-time love, come to me! Your children need you!"**

A soft-white glow filled the room, as if the full moon had risen within Loki's chambers, and a beautiful woman with long, white hair appeared next to Ra'. Saffron, Thor, and Loki all dropped to one knew with an arm across their chests, and she smiled down at all of them.

"Merry we meet, my children," she said in a soft voice, but as her gaze leveled on Isis her soft voice broke. "Oh, my sweet girl, I have missed you so! Do you know me? I am Diana, your mother!"

Diana extended her hands to Isis, and Isis tried to extricate herself from the sheet wrapped around her, but could not. Movement was too painful, and the effort made her gasp and weep with pain. Diana's face contorted at Isis' condition, and she went to her, wrapping her arms around her in a gentle hug.

"I'm sorry," Isis sobbed, "so sorry! I can't remember any of you! I only know Saffron as a friend, and Asgard not at all...Loki I know from dreams, and Thor only from stories...Why don't I remember? Why was this done to me?"

Diana cradled Isis' broken form and wiped her tears, soothing her. "We must break the rest of the enchantments holding you, my child," she soothed, "and then you will be whole. We must find your amulet, even as Halstaryna has told you, and your life and powers will be restored."

Isis nodded, sniffling. "I know," she whispered. "When I am strong enough to travel, I will go back to Kansas-to Midgard-to retrieve it. I think I know where it might be found. I will not fail you this time."

Diana's face hardened, and the Huntress stiffened with anger. "Speak not like this, my child. You have never failed me. This...outrage...is neither your fault, nor your sister's, nor your mate's. The fault lies only with this dark sorcerer who took you for his own evil purposes."

"You will not go alone," Saffron volunteered. "I will go with you," she pledged.

"And I," swore Loki.

"And I," promised Thor.

**"****Yes,"** boomed Ra', as he placed a hand on Saffron's shoulder. "**We shall all go! This Sciotha has tangled with the wrong family! By all the realms, let him deal with all of us now!"**


	6. Chapter 7

CHAPTER 7

Saffron looked at her father and nodded.

"As you wish, father," she said. "When Isis is well enough to travel, I will let the school know we will be taking some time off."

"Then that is it! We have a plan," Thor said with a booming voice.

All nodded, and then Ra and Diana took their leave with a flash of soft white light and fire.

Saffron began to leave the room with Thor, meaning to give Isis and Loki privacy to talk, but Isis cried out again.

"Saffron! Please, please don't leave me alone with him!"

Saffron sighed and turned back.

"Look, Isis: Loki is not going to harm you. I know this is a lot to take in all at once, but you have to listen to him. Let him _explain_. Just please listen with your heart. I will be right in the next room if you need me."

Isis slowly nodded.

"Ok," she said, taking a deep breath.

Saffron turned and grabbed Thor by the arm.

"I hunger! You must feed me. What passes for food in this realm?" Saffron urged. As they left the room Saffron looked over at Loki and nodded. There was a silent warning in her eyes as she and Thor left the room.

Isis rolled her eyes. Asgard, Midgard, and Earth, whatever: some things with Saffron just didn't change. That girl could eat her way through a banquet hall and not gain an ounce.

Loki slowly walked over to the bed, his brow furrowed.

"Isis, my love," he said tenderly, "you are my life, my world, the star in my night sky, and I would never do anything to harm you. I know what you saw frightened you. I speak truthfully with you: it frightens me, sometimes, as well. I am truly sorry you had to see that, that you had to learn about me that way," Loki sighed. "I am only half Jotun, my father-my _real_ father-was the king of the Jotun, but he left me to die as a babe. Odin found me and rescued me, and raised me as his own, but I only recently found that out. I am not...proud...of my heritage. That is why I have never shown or told you about it." He took another shuddering breath. "It is difficult for me to face. But I know...I apologize...I know _now_ I should have told you! Please, can you forgive me? I want you to know, no matter what, that I love you and will never hurt you in any way. You are the reason the sun shines for me..."

The goddess Eira entered the room, carrying a small medicine cup.

"Forgive me, my Prince, but I have brought an elixir for Lady Isis to ease her pain," she said with a respectful bow.

Loki nodded as Eira handed Isis the cup. Isis quickly drank the elixir and lay back down.

"Wow," she said blinking sleepily, "that stuff really works!"

Eira motioned to Loki to follow her, and when they were out of Isis' hearing she turned to him with a concerned look.

"My Prince: I can heal most of her body, but I can-not heal her mind. You should take her to see the goddess Hygieia. That is her patronage; she can heal her mind if anyone can."

Loki puts his hands on Eira shoulders, and his face was troubled.

"Thank you, dear friend, for all you have done for my lady-wife. You have ever been ready to patch up Thor or I, but I cannot begin to repay you for what you have done here..."

Eira smiled sadly.

"No thanks are necessary; you are welcome, my Prince." As she turned to leave, Eira saw Thor trying to sneak up on Saffron, who was busy with a plate of food. She rolled her eyes and sighed. "Thor: those who play with fire will get burned!" she warned.

Saffron turns around at Eira's words to see Thor blush, and laughed at him.

"She just saved you from needing a healer yourself, Thor!" she chuckled. Saffron thanked Lady Eira with a smile and a nod as she left. Saffron then turned to Thor and Loki. "You two should get some rest, I will watch over Isis. My fire is fed now, and I can keep her safe."

Thor nodded and turned to Loki.

"Come, brother. It is time to rest ourselves. Lady Saffron will look after your ladylove. We can take our rest in my chambers."

Loki looked down at Isis's sleeping form, and sighed.

"You have the right, brother. We should be well-rested when we enact our revenge on Sciotha." He turned and followed Thor from the room.

Isis slept for nearly an hour after Thor and Loki left. When she finally opened her eyes, she called for Saffron: softly, not wanting Thor or Loki to hear her. (She did not know they had left the room.)

Saffron hurried over with a worried look on her face.

"Is all well, my sister? Do you need anything?" she asked anxiously.

Isis nodded weakly. "Yes, all is well, but I need your help."

Saffron sat gently on the bed next to her. "With what do you need help? Do you need a chamber pot, or perhaps a bath? Would you like something to eat?"

Isis thought for a moment. "You had to mention a chamber-pot, didn't you?" she grumped. "Yes, all of those in turn, and some clothing. Then I must go to retrieve my star amulet; I cannot go another day not remembering who or what I am."

"But Isis," Saffron protested, but Isis cut her off.

"Don't interrupt. I want you to teleport us to the field where I was found: in Kansas. We can go and get back before the men know that I am missing. I believe that if the two of us go, the chance the Jotun will find us will be less, and the faster we can return."

Saffron bit her lip. "I do not know if this is wise, Isis. You are still in rough shape. Perhaps you should rest at least a day..."

Isis shook her head. "Please, sister. I can't take this any longer! Help me remember, sister; please help me!"

Saffron frowned and thought for a moment.

"You have an appointment with yet another healer, by commandment of the goddess Eira," she finally said. "You are to consult with the Lady Hygieia, of Olympus. She must assess the damage done to your mind, and make her recommendation. There may be magical damage we do not know about, after all, and that mischief must be tended. Suffer a day for her arrival and her council, and I shall do all that you ask."

Isis nodded. "This I so swear. At least help me to the bath," she pleaded.

Saffron nodded and helped Isis to the bathing chamber, and while Isis was bathing she stuck her head out of the room and waved down a maid.

"My sister wakes, and desires to eat. Can you bring her a tray? She should not be up and about, I think."

"At once, milady Saffron," the maid said. She curtsied and left.

Saffron helped Isis finish bathing. Reaching into the wardrobe for clothing she pulled out a gown for Isis, and tutted.

"We're going to look weird rummaging around in a Kansas field dressed like this," she said, handing the gown to Isis, "but I don't think they have blue jeans and tennis shoes in Asgard."

"Or bras, either," Isis lamented, staring at the dress.

"That's what the corset is for, you goose," Saffron scolded.

"Just don't cinch me up too tight, ok? I'm still sore," Isis said plaintively.

Isis finished dressing and stood up. "Alright then, my sister: let us go."

Saffron places her hand on Isis shoulder and hesitated. "You did promise to wait for Hygieia," she said petulantly. "And I have ordered a tray for you. You need to gain your strength."

A knock sounded at the door.

"Who is it?" Isis asked impatiently.

"Your manners have not improved with your time on Earth," Saffron scolded. She walked to the door and opened it. "I just told you I ordered a tray from the kitchens. One does not just shout through doors in the royal house of Asgard. This isn't a university dormitory," she finished as she pulled open the massive door.

"Well said, daughter of Ra," said Hygieia. "I met the maid who brought this tray, and relieved her of the burden of her duty and her desire for gossip fodder. May I enter?"

The Greek goddess was tall, with olive skin, gray-black hair swept back in an elaborate plait, and _three_ intense black eyes.

Saffron blinked. "That was fast indeed!"

"Who are you?" Isis said in wonder.

"I am Hygieia, oh daughter of Diana: my sister," Hygieia said with a bow. "We are kindred; I am your aunt. I am known as the goddess of theosophy, health, and wisdom. I came summoned by my friend and cohort, the Lady Eira, who mentioned your need."

"Oh! Um…I have not yet eaten…" Isis began, but Hygieia waved her hand.

"Worry not, child. Work any special magic I shall not. We need to speak comfortably, and in private. If you will excuse us, child of Ra?" Hygieia spoke the last part to Saffron. It was obviously an order, and not a request.

"Isis?" Saffron said, turning to her sister. Isis waved her off.

"I will be fine."

The session with Hygieia lasted an hour, and when the goddess emerged from Loki's chambers her face was grave. Loki and Saffron were waiting for her.

"I found no residual magical harm to your life-mate's mind, O Prince," she said somberly. "When she is strong enough to be about, as assessed by Lady Eira, she may do anything she pleases. No bond remains of the Jotun's guise…"

"But she still remembers nothing!" Loki protested. "How can there be no residue if…"

Hygieia held up a hand. "There is more. I beg your patience. When Isis' powers and amulet were stripped from her, damage was done within her. She shall remain mortal, amnesiac, and weak until that harm is undone. She sleeps now; I have given her a powder from my brother, Morpheus. For your part, tend her until she is physically ready to travel, and then seek out her amulet. With the restoration of her Star Amulet will come all truth, and the Truth is what will set her free."

Saffron poked Loki playfully. "So you can't help much, God of Lies."

Hygieia glared at the young goddess. "This is no joking matter, firebird. Mind your tongue!"

Loki held out his hands to Hygieia. "Thank you, Lady, for all of your help. I am in your debt."

Hygieia took his hands and kissed them. "There is no such debt between brethren, Loki. You are married to my sister-daughter; we are now kindred. Peace to you, and to your house!"

Hygieia vanished with a wisp of mist and glitter.

"I will check on Isis," Saffron offered. "She still frightens easily on waking."

"Thank you, firebird," Loki said gravely. "I must take this missive to the All Father. He must be informed.

/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\

Isis slept for half a day with the administration of Morpheus' powder. Saffron was there when she awoke; another tray of food had just been delivered.

"Saffron," Isis said sleepily.

"I am here."

"Help me to the bath-chamber."

Isis wanted to bathe again, and Saffron noticed that she spent a lot of time scrubbing her intimate parts. When she reached for a scrub brush, the young fire-goddess stopped her.

"That won't help," she scolded gently. "You aren't dirty, not like that."

"I feel it, though. I so want to feel clean again! Saff…will you help me? Hygieia said if I find my amulet, that the damage done to me will be healed. Will you take me to Earth, so we can find it?"

Saffron bit her lip. "You want me to teleport us both when you need help walking to the chamber-pot?"

Isis scowled. "Fine," she pouted. She pulled herself out of the bath and grabbed a towel. Furiously scrubbing off all of the water until she no longer dripped, she glared at her friend. "Happy?"

"You go to Earth like that and you'll make a LOT of guys happy," Saffron pointed out.

"Nag, nag, nag," Isis groused. She stomped-as best as she could-to her wardrobe and pulled on some clothing. "Better?"

"Much," Saffron nodded. She frowned again.

"What now?" Isis demanded. "You really don't mean to get permission to go, do you?"

"No. It isn't that. I don't really know where to go," Saffron said, frowning. "I mean, your Earth home was somewhere in Kansas, and you were found in a field, but there is a lot of that in Kansas! Where should I take us?"

Isis frowned; Saffron had a point. "Take us to my foster parents' home in Topeka," she finally decided. "My foster-mom can help us find the field."

"Good idea," said Saffron. Placing her arms around her sister, she whispered "Hold on," and teleported them to the Topeka suburb where Isis had spent so much time.

The girls appeared in a small copse of trees and looked around. The neighborhood was quiet; it was the middle of the day.

"Good thing everybody is at work," Saffron muttered.

"Why?" asked Isis

"We could throw veils over these outfits in Egypt, and nobody would give us a second glance," Saffron said sourly. "Here, we stand out like a couple of weirdo's from a Renaissance Faire!"

"Gripe, gripe, gripe," Isis gritted her teeth. "We can change when we get into my...err...my foster-parents' house. I still have clothing there."

The girls made it into the house unseen. Apparently Mrs. Knite was not at home. Isis led her half-sister into her old bedroom and pulled out t-shirts and blue jeans for them both.

"Ahhh, cotton underwear," Isis sighed. "Asgard is great and all, but this corset is for the birds!" She turned and found Saffron frowning at her. "What now?"

Saffron traced the lash-marks that stood out against Isis' skin. While not raw, they still glowed an angry red.

"At least these are closed," she said, her face puckered. "If you were really human I think he would have killed you. Are you sure you want to do this so soon?"

"Yes," Isis said simply. "I want to do this _because_ I'm not human. I have parents and a life and a life-mate and a realm, and _none_ of those things are here! Do you have any idea what it is like, to lose yourself?"

"No, I don't. I only know what it is like to lose my sister before we even met," Saffron pointed out. Her mouth twisted to one side. "Do you think we could grab something to eat before we head out? Thor so-not-the-god-of-stealth didn't really let me finish eating this morning."

Isis snorted. "Not that that would have mattered," she groused. "The kitchen is this way."

Mrs. Knite came home as Isis and Saffron sat in the kitchen eating.

"Isis," she asked, amazed, "what are you doing here? The term won't be over for two weeks at least!"

Isis coughed as if she was choking on something. "Mom, we got out early and wanted a break, so Saff and I thought we would surprise you and Dad. There's a lot I have to talk to you about, but first I need to know which field is the one where you found me. I want to show it to Saff."

"It is the one behind the green barn, down by the lake where we used to go swimming. Why do you need to know? Is it important?"

Isis hesitated. "Mom, I have found out a lot about myself that you would never believe. I will tell you all about it in time, but I need to go to the field first, ok? When we get back we will talk and I will explain every thing." Isis stood up. "Is my truck still in the garage?"

"Yes, dear," her mom said, looking puzzled, "the keys are on the hook like usual. Why won't you tell me now what is going on?"

Isis sighed. "It's nothing bad, Mom. It's just that I want to have all the pieces of this puzzle together _before_ I say anything. That way I can answer any questions you may have," she kissed her mom on the cheek, "and believe me, you're going to have a lot!" She left her foster mother shaking her head in the kitchen, and walked out to her truck with Saffron right behind her.

As they leave Saffron cleared her throat.

"What?" Isis asked.

"That was not nice, sis. You should have told her what you know! Now she is just going to worry about you more."

Isis shook her head as she drove. "It will be easier to answer any thing she asks when I know the answers. This is awkward enough already."

"What do you mean, awkward? How can the truth be awkward?"

Isis gave her a _look_.

"Mom, Dad, thanks for raising me since you found me in the field and all, but…the thing is…I'm not 22. I'm not even human. I'm an alien demigoddess from another dimension. By the way, I'm married to Loki of Asgard, the guy who tried to take over the world a few years ago…need I go on?"

"Um…right."

"I don't want to leave anything out when I tell Mom and Dad what we have discover. It's going to rock their world enough as it is." She looked away from Saffron. "It certainly has mine."

The sun was getting low in the sky by the time they found the lake and the barn. They walked behind only to be amazed by its size: it was easily 1,000 acres.

"Ok, genius," Saffron drawled. "This is your quest. Where do we start?"

Isis pressed her lips together. "Well, Mom told me that I was in some kind of a crater, so I guess we start over there, where the ground dips."

They started casting about, trying to see if there was any place the amulet could be hidden, but found nothing. Except for the 'crater', the field was plain and empty. Its only decoration was the piles of stone and logs at the edges, left from decades of tilling and clearing.

The light was already fading, and Saffron worried that they would not be able to find the Star Amulet in time to stay out of trouble. She paced nervously, occasionally prying up a stone or kicking over a log in her search, for it was obvious they would not find the amulet lying on the ground. If it ever had been there, it had either already been picked up, or was buried under 5 years of tillage.

"We should have brought a metal detector," she grumbled.

Isis frowned, trying to remember what Halastjarma had said to her when they had met in the Realm of the Wandering Winds. Saffron's nervous pacing and grumbling was not helping her think. To make matters worse, her sister had the annoying habit of telling her they had to hurry. Isis finally glared at her.

"Saff," she groused, "sit down and shut up, I can't think straight with you doing that."

Saffron looked at her with narrow eyes and sat down on a log.

Isis remembered, finally, what her aunt had told her: to speak to the night sky and petition it for assistance. Isis took a deep breath and closed her eyes, then tilted her face up to the darkening sky.

"I am Isis, daughter of Diana, the goddess of the moon! I beg you: please help me find what I have lost!"

A chiding voice behind them made Isis and Saffron jump.

"Should you not be in bed, my child? 'Tis too soon after you took hurt to be realm-wandering and questing!"

They turned to see Diana and Halastjarna standing there, hands on their hips and stern faces disapproving. Diana's bow was slung across her back as always, while Halastjarna wore her sword. Diana's scowl deepened even further.

"And unarmed to boot! Child, were you not already injured, I would box your ears!"

Halastjarna turned to her sister. "I've a mind to box her ears anyway. 'Tis obvious she learned little from her torture."

Isis' lip quavered. "I am sorry, Mother, but I need to find my amulet! I am tired of not being able to remember any thing. I have not just lost a necklace. I have lost myself!"

Diana looked toward the now-starry sky and sighed deeply. "Save me from the impetuousness of the young," she said. Taking a deep breath she shouted: **"Heimdall! Beloved, I need you to come to me!" **

A bright light shot down from the stars and burned a rune in the ground. When it ceased shimmering, a tall black man in gold armor stepped out. He carried a long golden spear, and a golden hawk flapped its wings from its apex and screeched at their company. He smiled as his eyes found Diana, who smiled in return, and walked over to him and wrapped her arms around him.

"The one that looks at nothing," Isis whispered to herself, "but sees everything."

"My hearing is quite good, too," Heimdall nodded, cocking an eyebrow down at Diana. "You needn't _shout_ when you petition me, you know."

Diana chuckled. "Yes, my child. This is Heimdall All-Seeing, the Gatekeeper of Asgard. He is also your father."

Isis' voice squeaked. "My…my father?"

Heimdall nodded, with a sad smile. "I have missed you, dear one. The dark one, Sciotha, hid you from even me."

Isis took a deep breath. "Father, I need to know: have you seen my Star Amulet?"

Heimdall smiled and nodded.

"Yes, my dear daughter; I have. It is safe till you have need of it."

A crack of thunder split the air, and with a flash of lighting Thor and Loki appeared. Loki ran to Isis, for he wanted to hold her, but he stopped short when Isis stepped closer to Heimdall and grabbed his arm.

"Is all well my prince?" Heimdall rumbled.

"I went into our chambers to check on my lady-wife and found her gone," the dark prince replied. "I feared that Sciotha had taken her again."

"Heimdall, what are you doing here?" Thor asked in his booming voice. "What has caused you to abandon your post at the Bifrost?"

Heimdall looked at the crown prince and raised his chin. "I left the Bifrost with another caretaker, O Prince. My post is not abandoned. I have come to aid my **daughter** in her time of need."

Thor and Loki looked at Heimdall in shock.

"Daughter?" Thor finally sputtered. "Do you mean that Isis is your daughter?"

Heimdall nodded. "Yes, my prince, she is."

Thor snorted and smacked Loki good-naturedly on the back. "Ho, brother! You must call Heimdall your father now!"

"That explains a lot," Loki grumbled. Thor raised a questioning brow at him, so he explained. "We never could sneak about for…privacy…when we were courting. We were always caught by the royal chaperones!"

"Surely you did not think t'was an accident, my prince?" Heimdall said good-naturedly.

"Nay, I thought t'was Mother's meddling, or Odin's," Loki answered with a sigh.

"Back to business, then," Thor said, turning a disapproving glare onto Saffron. "All of this sneaking about cannot have been in vain. Know you what the ladies seek?"

"I do," Heimdall nodded. "And they waste time fumbling about in a field that has been ploughed 12 times in 6 years," he growled disapprovingly. "Ladies of your breeding and intelligence should show better sense!"

"What say you, Father? Have you known of mine amulet's whereabouts this whole time?" Isis's eyes were wide.

"Its location, aye," Heimdall nodded. "But I could neither find you nor secure it for you. 'Tis your amulet, and only you may touch it. The Guardian has so decreed it, and set the necessary wards about it, to keep it from Sciotha's hands and misuse."

Heimdall turned his face to the dark sky and closed his eyes.

"KRSTAR! IT IS TIME!" He bellowed.

A star seemed to twinkle and grow, and then expanded into a white globe in the sky above them. It continued to grow in both size and brightness, until a dragon of massive size appeared and landed in the field before them all.

The dragon was hard to see in the dark, despite the glow that surrounded him, for his body was as black as night. Feathery scales of pearl white cascaded from his snake-like neck and the tip of his tail, and the horns on his head shone like a thousand suns. His fangs, as long as swords, glowed as well. He threw his head back and roared as he folded his mighty wings.

"I am Krstar: Guardian of the Star Amulet! If you wish to claim it, you must prove yourself worthy to wield it!"

Saffron jumped up defiantly. "Of course she is worthy! It belongs to her! She is the star goddess!"

Krstar growled and snapped his jaws at her, and Saffron sat back down.

"Silence, Flame-Rider! You know not of what you speak!" He roared. "Goddess she may be, but know herself she does not! The amulet will only do the bidding of the servant of the stars! She must prove herself!"

"Calm yourself, sister," Isis said. "This is my rite of passage." She walked up to the dragon without fear and bowed her head. "What must I do, Guardian?"

Krstar nodded and flapped his mighty wings, stirring up the dirt around the assembled gods and goddesses.

"Climb onto my back, youngling, and your test will begin."

Isis nodded and made to step onto the proffered limb, but Loki grabbed her arm and stopped her.

"What are you doing? You cannot just take off with him alone! You have not fully healed yet! I can't lose you again!"

Krstar lowered his head. "Your mate would gainsay you. Have you not his consent for this quest? Have it, you must!"

Isis bowed to Krstar and turned to look Loki in the eyes.

"Try to understand," she pleaded. "I don't remember you. I don't remember me-or us. I have been torn in a thousand pieces. If this is what it takes to get my memories back, then this I must do."

Loki shook his head. "Isis, my love; I would not live if I lost you again. My heart was lost when they took you! I cannot go through that again: not now that I have you back." Loki insisted softly.

Isis placed her hand on his cheek.

"You asked me to trust you: to accept you as you truly are. Now I must ask you to do the same for me. I _want_ to remember how much I love you, and you me. Please let me do this! I promise I will return to you." Isis said lovingly.

"I would rather you waited until you were fully healed," Loki insisted. "Can this not wait another fortnight?"

"NAY!" Krstar exclaimed. "The test has been called for. She must take the challenge now, or remain weak and mortal the rest of her days! The Amulet of the Star can wait for another Chosen One to be born, though it take 1,000 years!"

Loki looked Isis in the eyes and nodded. "I do therefore consent. I will wait here for your return, my love." He said with a sigh

Isis climbed onto Krstar's back.

"I love you, my goddess." Loki sadly called to her. "Be safe! Be strong!"

"Worry not, Oh God of Mischief. She shall be as safe with me as she would be with you," Krstar roared. "Verily, even more! For if the Unworthy Enemy is foolish enough to try me, then taste my teeth and fire they shall!" With that final roar the dragon spread his mighty wings and took to the sky.

Up, up, up they flew, until the assembled gods and goddesses were nothing but dots below them. Krstar banked into a great thundercloud, and Isis was temporarily drenched and cold. With a snap and a flash Krstar conjured a large ball of lightening and flew into it.

As they broke through the clouds and ball lightening, Isis saw a castle in the stars. The ball of lightening had been a magic portal to Krstar's home! Krstar landed on the balcony, where Isis dismounted and stepped away. Krstar stretched his mighty wings and neck once, then wrapped his wings around his body, and with another flash of lightening he transformed into a dark-skinned man with white hair. He beaconed to Isis and pointed to a nearby nebula.

"There," he said in his deep, loud voice. "There is your test."

"What must I do?" Isis asks

"You must give life to a star." Krstar answered. "Even now it shudders in vain, trying to be born, but unable to ignite. This is your age-old calling: igniting the dead elements of the cosmos into the beacons of life and illumination they are meant to be!"

"I am a Star Midwife?" Isis mused. "Saffron is a goddess of fire. This would seem more her field of operation. How can I ignite a star?"

"I did not say the test would be easy," Krstar intoned. "Choose! Will you accept the challenge? Aye or nay?"


	7. Chapter 8

**Chapter 8**

Isis stood, looking out into the seeming nothingness of space, her mind spinning.

"Aye," she answered Krstar, "I accept. I must!" _But how am I to do it?_ She asked herself.

Krstar was, apparently, a telepath.

"Look inside yourself," he said gently answering her unspoken question. "There your answer will be."

Isis thought hard. How could she give life to a star? To make something live she would have to start from the beginning, at the moment of creation. But she was not called to _create_ a star: to ignite it out of nothingness. No, she was called to _birth_ a star, or to guide one as it was being born. The elements had to already be present. They just needed _ignition_.

She turned and looked at the great Krstar.

"May I view the Star Amulet for a moment?"

He nodded solemnly and suspended it between them, keeping a close eye on her all the while.

Isis stared at the Amulet. It was silver, and shaped like a swirling galaxy with a large, sparkling moonstone at the center. Four silver points came out of the top, bottom, and sides of the galaxy swirl. She peered closely at it. The top and side points of the amulet were spotless, but the bottom spike seemed tarnished somehow: stained.

Stained with blood.

Isis looked briefly at her body. She had so many scars now from Sciotha's torture that it seemed useless to fine just one. She scratched randomly at one palm, pausing when her nails caught on a ridge she had not before noticed.

There was a scar in the palm of her hand. It was unlike anything Sciotha had done to her: almost dainty, as if from the same wound over and over again…

Isis seized the Amulet suddenly, catching Krstar by surprise, and stabbed the bottom point deep into the palm of her own left hand.

As the life-giving blood pooled in her hand, a cloud of what looked like dust floated nearby. She peered closer at it, then realized it was a nebula: _stardust_. She waved the pool of blood through it.

Isis closed her eyes and thought hard about what she knew about magic. The University's books had told her little. Would it be enough? She looked deep inside herself.

_I am not the human Isis Knite_, she thought to herself. _I am not a mutant freak. I am Isis, the goddess of the stars, daughter of Diana goddess of the Moon and Heimdall All-Seeing god of Asgard. _

Something sparked inside of her at those words.

_I am wife to Loki of Asgard, god of Fire, Magic, and Mischief._

Something deep in her belly began to burn.

_My sister is Saffron, the Solar Flare: Radiant Fire-Surfer._

The Star Amulet began to glow at the Moonstone's center.

Her eyes snapped open.

"I AM ISIS! DAUGHTER OF DIANA AND HEIMDALL! WIFE OF LOKI! SISTER OF SAFFRON! IGNITER OF THE STARS! _AND I WANT TO GO HOME!"_

Krstar smiled.

"I call upon the elements to help me in this magic work: air, fire, water, and earth! COME TO ME!"

Bright lights of yellow, red, blue, and green formed and swirled in front of her now-open eyes. The lights settled into the blood that pooled in her hand.

"I call on the magic of spirit, to bind it as one!"

Isis inhaled deeply, and then blew gently on the pool of blood, giving it her own life's-breath. The pool began to glow and spin in her hand. A ball of light formed: dancing and swirling pools of energy. She gasped then blew on the life-giving energy once more, sending it floating into the vast darkness before her.

The energy ball continued to writhe and dance as it floated to the depths of the great nebula before it, until it joined the bulk of the dark core that twitched at its center. The energy ball accelerated, drawn by the gravity at the dark star's well, until it impacted the core's outer shell and penetrated it. Sparks expanded outward from the little energy ball as it was consumed-a fire-starter to kindling-a sperm to an ovum-igniting _life_ where there had been only darkness.

The star pulsed, sparked, rotated, and began to glow blue-white with fresh life: a new sun.

Isis sighed, and found a few small tears at the corners of her eyes. Wiping them away she turned to the great Krstar and handed the Star-Amulet back to him.

"I have done as you asked. Have I proved to you that I am the goddess of the stars?"

"Yes, young goddess: you have," the great man said. He shook his head and expanded back into his dragon form. "More importantly, you have proved it to the Star Amulet, and yourself. Climb on my back, and I shall return you to the Earth."

Isis climbed onto his back. When she was seated again Krstar took flight. The stars flew past them with great speed, but Krstar took a moment to circle the new blue-white sun.

"I wonder what I should call it," Isis mused.

"It is not time to name it yet," Krstar answered. "It needs to grow a bit first."

When they landed, and after Isis slipped off of his back, Krstar gave the Star-Amulet to Heimdall.

"She is ready, Gate Keeper," the great dragon intoned, bowing. "She has passed the test, though the children of this world will not see her work for many centuries."

"Thank you, Krstar," Heimdall said as he accepted the amulet from the great dragon. He held it out, away from his body, and stepped behind Isis. "Are you ready, my daughter?"

Isis smiled and nodded. "Yes, father, I am ready to remember my life."

"Shalt do more than remember, I deem," Heimdall said deeply. As he clasped the silver chain around her neck a ray of moonlight struck the moonstone at the amulet's center.

A bright light surrounded her body and lifted her into the air. A flash of silver light hid her body from all eyes but that of Diana and Heimdall.

Isis's mind lit up. It was as if light penetrated every cell of her being, and her old life flashed into existence within her. She saw her childhood with Diana, tending the stars and the nebula in space. She saw the first time she met Loki, the way they fell in love, their wedding day, the ways they had cavorted in Asgard.

She saw the day Sciotha the Jotun threw her to Earth.

Isis opened her eyes. She could feel the energy of space fill and heal her. Her clothes shined like the moon, reflecting the light from her body, which glowed and pulsed like a newborn star. A tiara of stars rested momentarily on her brow, and the Star Amulet pulsed one more time.

As her body slowly lowed to the ground, Isis heard a soft voice crying. She turned and saw her foster mother standing at the edge of the field. Mrs. Knite was weeping.

"I knew you were special," she said hoarsely, "when the lady in white came to me in my dream. It was the night we brought you home from the hospital. She asked me to watch over you and keep you safe." The older woman swallowed with difficulty. "I thought she was your guardian angel."

Diana spoke up first. "No, dear friend," she said kindly. "You and your husband were her guardian angels. You did well raising and caring for her when I could not, and for this I thank you."

Elizabeth Knite looked at Diana and blinked.

"You! You are the woman in white from my dreams."

Diana looked at her and smiled. "Yes, I am," she nodded.

"Please," Elizabeth asked, "might I please know your name?"

Diana smiled again and gave Elizabeth a low bow, with a hand over her heart.

"I am Diana, goddess of the moon: I am Isis's birth mother. This gentleman with me," she motioned to the tall dark Asgardian with her, "is Heimdall All-seer, her father."

Elizabeth looked at Saffron, a little overwhelmed.

"Did you know about this?"

Saffron nodded her head. "Yes ma'am, I did. But I was not permitted to speak of any of it. There was powerful magic at play."

Elizabeth only looked more confused.

"Saffron…is that really your name?"

Saffron nodded.

"So, are you…like her?" She pointed to Diana, "or are you human like me? And who are the rest of these people?"

Elizabeth's growing hurt and confusion showed on her face, so Loki stepped forward. He took her hands in a comforting gesture.

"I am Loki, god of mischief and fire from Asgard; I am Isis's husband. Thank you, dear lady, for looking after my lady-wife." He kissed her chastely on the hand and stepped back.

Thor stepped forward and placed his right fist over his heart. "I am Thor, of Asgard: the god of thunder. I am Loki's brother."

Halastjarna stepped forward and bowed her head. "I, my lady, am Halastjarna, goddess of the shooting star, sister to Diana, and aunt to Isis."

Saffron looked Elizabeth in the eyes with sorrow. "No, Mrs. Knite. I am not human, even as the rest of my family is not. I am Saffron Star, daughter of Ra, the Egyptian god of the sun. I am also the Egyptian goddess of fire, and half sister to Isis, goddess of the stars. I have known the truth of Isis the whole time, even when she did not, but could not say anything to anyone. I am sorry, Mrs. Knite, for not telling you all of this, but I could not. As I said, there was powerful magic at play. I would have told you if I could."

Isis looked at her adopted mom and took her hand. "It is late," she said, "let us go back to the house and talk. This is a long story, and it is going to take some time to tell."

Mrs. Knite nodded, but she looked a little shell-shocked, so Isis drove with her in her car, while Saffron drove Diana and Halastjarna in the other vehicle they had brought. Heimdall, Thor and Loki traveled invisibly, in their own ways, to give the ladies some space.

By the time they got back to the house Mr. Knite was home from work, and frantic at the disappearance of his wife. When the crowd of Asgardians and Kemetians came into the house with Elizabeth and Isis he looked up in shock. Alarmed at the sight, he jumped up and grabbed a gun from a kitchen drawer, then threw himself between his wife and foster-daughter and Loki.

"Elizabeth! Isis! Run! Don't you know who that is? Get out of the house!"

Isis stepped forward with her hands up.

"Papa," she said, "it's ok. Put the gun down; they are not here to harm anyone."

He looked at her as if she were crazy.

"Are you under some kind of mind control? He tried to take over the world! Run!"

Isis sighed. "Dad, _please_ put the gun down. I'm not under any kind of mind-control: not anymore. Loki is not here to hurt anybody. Put the gun down, and I will tell you what is going on and why he, and everybody else, are here."

Elizabeth stepped forward. "It is alright, Paul. Please just listen."

Paul Knite slowly lowered the gun but kept it in his hand.

"I won't put it away," he said cautiously, "but I won't point it at anybody without reason. I have to protect my family. Understood?" He glared knowingly at Loki, who held up his hands placating.

"You are a brave man," Thor rumbled, "to stand so against any who would threaten your family. Blessed be the powers that chose you to protect Isis when she fell!"

"Nice touch," Loki murmured.

"Thank you, brother," Thor murmured back.

"Ok, now. If the Testosterone club is finished, can we all just sit down? I will explain everything," Isis softly said.

It was a long tale. Isis spared the Knites no details: she told them about her heritage, about Asgard and her marriage to Loki, her kidnapping and bewitchment by Sciotha that led to her life with them. She told them about meeting Saffron at college, her dreams, and her second kidnapping and torture, and the upcoming battle with the Jotun sorcerer Sciotha.

Elizabeth started to cry at the thought of her foster-daughter's torture, and she hugged the girl tightly. Many eyes in the room were moist. Paul put the gun back in the drawer safe and hugged Isis tightly, then went to his wife and pulled her gently to his chest.

He looked up into Loki's eyes and his voice was hoarse.

"You had better take good care of our baby girl. We love her with all our hearts," he rasped. He looked up at Heimdall and Diana and bowed his head. "Thank you for trusting us to take care of your child. We loved her as if she was our own. I hope you know that."

Dianna smiled.

"It is I who should thank you for taking such good care of her. You are both still young; you may yet have one to call your own," she said kindly.

Elizabeth looked up from her husband's chest and shook her head.

"I cannot bear children," she sniffled. "There is something wrong with me that our doctors cannot treat. That is why we became foster parents."

Dianna smiled sadly and nodded.

"I know your pain," she said, patting Elizabeth's hand. "It is known throughout the galaxy. Perhaps, as recompense for helping our daughter, I can help you in like style. We shall speak again on this, I so swear." Bending down, she hugged Elizabeth as she would a sister, and her eyes were wet.

Loki took Isis by the hand.

"It is time, my love," he said knowingly.

Isis nodded, walked over to her foster parents, and hugged them tight. Two tears coursed down each cheek.

"I love you," she said, sniffling. "Thank you for everything. I will never forget you."

Paul Knite looked at Loki pointedly and folded his arms over his chest.

"One thing, God of Mischief. If you hurt Isis in any way **_I will hunt you down and kick your ass, do you get what I am saying!"_**

Heimdall threw his head back and laughed. "A father truly! I said the same thing to Loki on the day they wed! Well met, my friend!" He slapped Paul on the back in a friendly manner.

Loki, now surrounded by two fathers-in-law, threw up his hands in surrender and nodded.

"I understand! Worry not, Isis shall come to no harm from me!"

The crowd all gradually took their leave from the Knite home. Each immortal pressed a token of some sort into the Knite's hands or over their necks and hugged them, then finally disappeared in one way or another from the back yard. Isis and Loki were the last to go, for Isis could not bear to leave without one last embrace from Elizabeth and Paul. Loki handed them each a green jewel.

"Bind this into any form of jewelry you wish, but keep it with you," he said. "If you are in danger, it will protect you and summon help."

With that final word, Loki wrapped his arms around Isis, and they disappeared.

They touched down, finally, within Loki and Isis's own sitting chamber. Dianna, Saffron, and Halastjarna were already there, waiting for them with a tray of tea and scones. After the happy couple arrived Loki excused himself, and the four women sat and talked in Loki and Isis's chambers for an hour.

Loki and Thor stood back and let the four catch up on time lost, but stayed out of sight. Dianna and Halastjarna finally stood and hugged Isis, and made it plain to Saffron that they should take their leave. The young goddess looked mutinous, but Diana gainsaid her.

"Your sister and her husband need some privacy, beloved. We should not delay in giving it to them, and I believe someone here wishes to speak with you alone, as well." Diana nodded knowingly at Thor, who stood silently behind Loki.

Saffron had the grace to smile and take her leave of Loki and Isis with those words.

Loki walked to Isis and embraced her.

"Are you ready to sleep now, my love? We should be abed," he said tenderly.

Isis looks up into his eyes and nodded coyly.

"Yes, my love, I am ready to go to bed, but sleep is not what I had in mind."

She smiled and kissed him once, softly, on the lips, then with greater passion, and slowly walked away from the now shocked god. Isis said goodnight to Thor and Saffron as she walked into the sleeping chamber. Their only reply was a knowing look in Loki's direction.

Loki said a hurried 'Good night' to Thor and Saffron and barred the door to their chambers, and then shook himself and made chase.

Thor and Saffron laughed at Loki's shocked look as the door was shut in their faces.

"God of sex indeed," Thor chuckled. "One would think him to be an untested lad, the way Isis plays him. May I walk you to your chambers, Lady Saffron?"

Saffron sighed. "Thor, I feel we shall see a lot of each other, so please drop the 'Lady' stuff and just call me Saffron. I have spent enough time on Midgard for such formality to become awkward." As she spoke to him, Saffron slowly moved closer to Thor, until they were separated by little more than a hairsbreadth.

Thor slipped one hand gently down her face and brushed her lips with his thumb.

"As you wish…Saffron," he said deeply. He sat down on one of the benches and pulled her to into his massive arms.

Their lips had just brushed each other's when a bright flash startled them. As the light faded Ra stood before them, scowling deeply. He looked at the pair-Saffron nearly on Thor's lap-and scowled even deeper. Ra reached out, grabbed his daughter by the arm, and hauled her off of Thor.

"Daughter," he growled, "I do not approve of this behavior. This Asgardian is not the best match for you."

Thor stood up and nodded respectfully to Ra.

"I did neither dishonor nor harm to her, Lord Ra," he protested, "nor will I ever do such."

Ra snorted. "I will not stand for my child to be another knot in your belt, Prince Thor! I will not have you break Saffron's heart as you did Halastjarna's."

Saffron looked at Thor in shock.

"Thor, is what my father said true? Did you and my aunt…" She shook her head at the realization and started over. "Did you love my aunt, and discard her? Did you so break her heart? Would you do the same to me? I have heard tales of your father's exploits, but thought better of you!"

Thor shook his head and sighed.

"I am not All-Father Odin, but once I was young and unwise in my...affairs. Saffron, I could not, and would not, act so shamefully with you. I court you honestly. Your aunt has forgiven me, I think. It was a long time ago, and you were not yet born. What I feel for you is something I have never felt for another."

Ra laughed without humor.

"Never? You did not feel so, even for your human lover?"

Thor turned and pinned Ra with hard eyes.

"My feelings for Jane Foster were real, but we both understood, eventually, that we could not be together. Her life will flicker and be extinguished in a short time: she cannot live in Asgard. Our breakup was agonizing, but it was best for us both. You should mind your own affairs, Ra. Wouldst tell me you have never sported with another woman, nor loved another, than your bound mate? Nay, do not put on a mask to deceive me. My brother is the god of all the liars, and knows the art better than you." He turned back to Saffron. "I feel for you Saffron, and it is no mere lust of the flesh. My heart is stronger then that. I feel pulled to you, and I do not know why. I do feel as if I am falling in love with you. This is no mere sport that I seek with you."

Saffron's anger and confusion flared at both men, and in a flash of fire she vanished.

Loki walked softly up to Isis, wrapped his arms around her from behind and kissed her gently on the neck. He nuzzled her in the ear, gently, and heard her breath hitch.

"Darling, is this really what you want? Are you healed enough for this?" He turned her around, gently, to look into her eyes. "I wish not to cause you any more pain or injury, nor to alarm you with our play."

Isis twined her arms around Loki's neck and kissed him gently on the lips.

"I want this," she whispered, "only, let us go…slowly?"

Loki smiled down at his bonded mate.

"Slow it is, then." He bent down, scooped her into his arms, and carried her to their bed. "Slow indeed," he murmured, nibbling at her neck, "but never boring."


	8. Chapter 9

"Loki, will you promise to do something for me," Isis asked softly?

"Yes: anything your heart desires, my love," Loki vowed.

Isis turned in his arms and looked deep into his eyes. "Show me, Loki; show me your Jotun side."

Loki was shocked, especially when he considered what she had gone through at the hands of a Jotun.

"I think it is not wise," he protested, "and it is not safe…"

Isis silenced him with a finger to his lips.

"Loki: you _promised_, and this is what I ask. I love _you_ Loki, so let me love _all_ of you, and not just half."

With a sigh of defeat Loki stepped back, away from his mate's body and bed, and willed the change. Isis watched as Loki's pale skin turned artic blue, his deep green eyes changed to crimson, and an interacting swirled pattern arose on his skin. The only thing that did not change was his hair; his raven locks still cascaded around his face and shoulders.

Isis breath stilled, and her eyes grew wide.

"Please, my love: do not fear me. I will harm you not," Loki softly said.

Isis looked deep into his eyes. "I fear you not, my love."

Isis slid off of the bed and stepped forward. She ran a curious hand over the raised pattern on his skin, and Loki shuddered.

"Beautiful," she murmured.

Loki took her hand in his as he shifted back to his Aesir form.

"A little uncomfortable," he admitted. "I am not so used to being touched in that form."

"Shhhh, Silver Tongue," Isis chided him. She kissed him deep and pulled him close. "You talk too much," she breathed into his mouth.

Loki wrapped his arms around her and ran his hands up and down her back. Isis let out a soft moan, spurring him on. He slowly undressed her, kissing and nipping her skin as he uncovered it, working his way down her body. Their passion growing, Loki looked up into her eyes, hesitating. Isis nodded once, and he gently scooped her into his arms and returned her to the bed.

Loki began to kiss her body again. He started with the tender skin of her neck, nibbled down her torso, and worked his way down to her womanhood. Isis squirms as the soft kiss tickled her skin. She gasped as his tongue softly teased small circles around the small bundle of nerves. Feeling her desire grow hotter, Isis reached down and took his face in her hands.

Loki glanced at Isis' face: lust filled her beautiful eyes. Desire, and not fear. She took his lips in such a hunger-filled kiss that Loki could not help but moan. He grabbed her hips tightly, shifting their bodies and pulling her closer to him, and with a flash of light his clothes vanished. The hunger of their shared passion growing, Loki pushed Isis back on the bed without breaking the kiss. Isis wrapped her arms around Loki's neck, as if to pull him closer to her still. They finally broke the kiss for much-needed air, and Isis looked Loki in the eyes.

"Please my love," she panted, "show me your passion."

Loki nodded and placed himself at the entrance to her womanhood.

"This may hurt," he cautioned. "I do not want you to be unaware. We do not know how complete your healing was."

"I had not thought of that," she admitted, biting her lip.

"I shall go…slow," he whispered hoarsely into her ear. "Tell me if you need me to stop, and I shall."

Isis nodded her head slowly.

Loki pushed slowly towards her hot core, easing in so as not to cause her too much pain. He stopped when he felt the barrier stretch.

He looked at Isis.

"Are you well, my love?"

She nodded once again, and he began moving slowly. He worked in small circles, teasing her, until she groaned with frustration.

"Loki," she begged one final time.

Loki thrust deeper, and she gasped in pain as he broke through the thin barrier.

When he was buried deep in her core he stilled, giving her a moment to adjust to his size.

"Are you well?"

"Yes," she gasped, dropping her head back onto the pillow. "Oh, yes!" She moaned in pleasure as he continued.

The heat between them grew, and Isis could not hold back her sounds of pleasure. As she moaned Loki felt her inner muscle tighten around him, and he gasped in pleasure. He sensed that she approached her peak, and started to move faster and deeper within her. As the pulse of her orgasm grew Isis dug her nails deep into Loki's shoulder. Loki moaned as pain and pleasure became one.

Isis reached the summit of her passion and fell over, losing all control. Her head dropped back and her eyes closed, and as she screamed out her orgasm she saw stars.

Loki was not far behind her; he yelled as he coated her womanhood with his seed. Loki lowered himself as he relaxed, coming down from the excitement of his climax, but keeping his weight on his own arms so as not to crush her.

Panting with his exertion, Loki looked at Isis' exhausted face.

"Isis, are you well, my Ladylove," he asked, concerned?

Isis smiled up at him.

"Yes, my love, I am quite well," she murmured.

She wrapped her arms around him, and with a quick shift of her body she flipped them over, with him still deep inside her womanhood. Isis smiled down at the shocked look on his face as she started gyrating on top of him.

"Creative little minx," he gasped.

The shocked look vanished, and was quickly replaced by a lecherous grin. Isis gasped as Loki hardened-again-inside of her. She rocked her hips and a moan slip passed Loki's lips. Loki grabbed her hips and rocked her harder and faster, and they both came to the peak of another mind-blowing orgasm.

Isis collapsed on top of Loki, finally descended from the height of their shared ecstasy. Loki pulled her into his arms and settled her at his side, until they lay, exhausted and spooned together in the middle of the bed. He buried his face into the silken mess that was her hair until his nose brushed her ear.

"I love you," he breathed.

"I love you, too," she murmured sleepily.

"I love you more," he teased.

She shifted a little so she could look at him out of the corner of her eyes.''

"Would you like to test that theory, Master of Mischief?" she taunted, but gave away her exhaustion by stretching.

Loki only smiled.

"Perhaps in an hour, beloved," he soothed, and cuddled her lovingly again.

At some point, they both fell into a blissful sleep.


End file.
